{"id":3546,"date":"2026-02-18T13:06:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/?p=3546"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:06:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:06:10","slug":"sky-river-casino-workers-protest-over-union-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/sky-river-casino-workers-protest-over-union-recognition","title":{"rendered":"Sky River Casino Workers Protest Over Union Recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-3547\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/unite-here-local-49-protest-outside-sky-river-casino.jpg\" title=\"Sky River Casino Workers Protest Over Union Recognition\" alt=\"Unite HERE Local 49 Protest outside Sky River Casino\" width=\"300\" \/><strong>Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Appx. 100 Sky River Casino workers and supporters demanded union recognition during a protest.<\/li>\n<li>The union says most workers already support representation, but the casino insists on a formal election.<\/li>\n<li>The dispute is ongoing in court, more protests if nothing changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tensions between workers and management at <strong>Sky River Casino<\/strong> spilled into public view on Tuesday evening, when around 100 employees and supporters gathered outside the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/states\/california\">California casino<\/a> to demand union recognition.<\/p>\n<p>The protest marked the most visible action yet in a long-running dispute between casino workers and <a href=\"https:\/\/unitehere49.org\"><strong>Unite Here Local 49<\/strong><\/a>, the union trying to represent them. The group marched along the sidewalk near the entrance, holding signs and chanting while customers drove past.<\/p>\n<p>For many workers, frustration has been building for years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>We want them to hear us<\/em>\u201d said <strong>Francisco Maldonado<\/strong>, a lead cook at the casino. He said employees believe they are making progress toward union representation, but the pace has been slow.<\/p>\n<p>Union leaders say the protest was meant to send a stronger message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>We are doing something a little bit bigger<\/em>\u201d said <strong>Aamir Deen<\/strong>, president of Unite Here Local 49, \u201c<em>hoping that they reverse directions<\/em>\u201d. He added, \u201c<em>We\u2019re going to continue to escalate<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"workers-should-have-a-say\">Workers Should Have a Say<\/h2>\n<p>At the center of the dispute is a disagreement over how the union should be recognized. Unite Here argues that a majority of workers already signed union authorization cards, which they say should be enough under an earlier agreement with the casino.<\/p>\n<p>Casino leadership disagrees, with <strong>Cammeron Hodson<\/strong>, president of the Wilton Rancheria Gaming Authority, arguing workers should decide through a formal vote. He said they \u201c<em>have been waiting for an opportunity to decide for themselves<\/em>\u201d if they want union representation.<\/p>\n<p>The conflict goes back to 2017, before the casino even opened. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/californias-tribal-casinos-need-more-than-gaming-to-attract-customers\">Wilton Rancheria tribe<\/a>, which owns the casino, signed an agreement outlining how union organizing would work. The casino eventually opened in 2022, but both sides now disagree on what the agreement requires.<\/p>\n<p>The issue has reached the courts, with a federal appeals court hearing arguments in December. A decision is still pending.<\/p>\n<p>Workers say the outcome matters not just for union rights, but for their daily lives. Maldonado said <strong>he earns just over $24 an hour and struggles to keep up with expenses<\/strong>, sometimes rotating which bills he pays.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters joined the protest as well, while union leaders emphasized that the protest is only the beginning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary: Appx. 100 Sky River Casino workers and supporters demanded union recognition during a protest. The union says most workers already support representation, but the casino insists on a formal election. The dispute is ongoing in court, more protests if nothing changes. Tensions between workers and management at Sky River Casino spilled into public view [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-general","category-industry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sky River Casino Workers Protest Over Union Recognition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sky River Casino employees gathered for a rally outside the property, asking for union recognition and warning that their campaign is not over yet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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