Press Releases
Teamsters Laud Ruling That Fired Hotel Workers Are Entitled to Their Jobs, Back Pay
Press Contact: Ted Gotsch Phone: (703) 899-0869 Email: tgotsch@teamster.org
(LAS VEGAS) – A regional office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) sided last week with seven warehouse workers working for Three Corners LLC, initially ruling the company violated their rights when it fired them in February for seeking representation with Teamsters Local 986.
As part of the decision to pursue an Unfair Labor Practice Complaint against Three Corners, NLRB Region 28 determined that the Three Corners workers, whose employer owns three downtown Las Vegas hotels that they stocked with food, beverages and other goods, were entitled to back pay as well as getting their jobs back and that the NLRB would seek this relief for the employees. The NLRB also determined that an agreement signed with QLI International to provide contract workers to fill the seven workers’ positions was illegal.
“This NLRB decision is a hard-earned win for these workers,” Local 986 Secretary-Treasurer Chris Griswold said. “They were put through the wringer only for seeking their protected right of wanting to join a union. We are glad to see that they will be made whole as part of this ruling.”
The workers, known as the Circa Seven after the largest of the hotels that employed them – the Circa Hotel and Casino, formed a picket line for four days in March to protest the actions of Three Corners and its owner Derek Stevens. They also handbilled around downtown Las Vegas to raise attention to the company’s actions during the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The other hotels owned by the company are the D Hotel and Casino and the Golden Gate.
“It’s been a long time coming, but my coworkers and I have been vindicated with this decision rendered by the National Labor Relations Board,” Three Corners worker Paul Madrid said. “Our fight and our story in the height of global pandemic is living proof that we need to pass the PRO Act to protect workers who want to organize and improve their working conditions without fear of retaliation from their employer. The leadership demonstrated by the Teamsters in this fight was amazing and very organized. Local 986 always kept us in the loop and had our best interest in mind.”
Chartered in 1948, Teamsters Local 986 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout the Western United States, including thousands of members in Las Vegas. For more information go to http://lasvegas.local986.org/.