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Bonus TL;DR
- Chief Justice John Roberts denied Red Rock Casino‘s emergency stay request, leaving a federal order to bargain with the Culinary Union in effect.
- The mandate forces Red Rock to immediately recognize the union and host employee rights meetings despite ongoing legal appeals.
Red Rock must comply with a federal labor order requiring it to recognize and bargain with the Culinary Union after Chief Justice John Roberts denied the casino’s emergency request to delay enforcement.
The denial leaves a National Labor Relations Board order in effect while Red Rock seeks further review at the U.S. Supreme Court. For casino operators, the ruling means the company must move forward with union-recognition requirements even as its broader legal challenge continues.
The underlying dispute stems from a December 2019 union election at Red Rock in Las Vegas. Although the union lost that vote, the NLRB later found the company committed numerous unfair labor practices that interfered with employees’ ability to freely choose representation. In 2024, the board ordered Red Rock to recognize and bargain with the Local Joint Executive Board of Las Vegas, which is affiliated with Culinary Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165.
Appeals court ruling stays in place
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the NLRB’s decision in June. After that, the appeals court denied Red Rock’s rehearing request in August and later also rejected the company’s request to stay its mandate pending Supreme Court review.
Red Rock then asked Roberts for emergency relief on Aug. 29, arguing it would suffer irreparable harm if forced to comply before the Supreme Court could consider the case. Roberts denied that application, leaving the appeals court mandate and the NLRB order enforceable.
A spokesperson for Station Casinos said the company would comply with the order while continuing to challenge it. The spokesperson said, “The NLRB decision overturned the clear vote of Red Rock team members rejecting the Culinary Union.”
The spokesperson also said, “The decision prevents any company from granting benefits to its employees if it is aware of union interest in unionizing the company’s employees and nullifies the Red Rock team members’ vote to be union-free, all because Station Casinos treated its team members too well.”
What Red Rock is required to do next
Under the disputed order, Red Rock must hold meetings during working hours in which employees’ rights are read in English and Spanish in the presence of senior management, an NLRB representative and possibly a union representative.
The order also requires the casino to recognize and bargain with the union upon request, post notices for 60 days, and mail notices to current and former bargaining-unit employees who worked at the property since September 2019.
This focus on brick-and-mortar casino operations underscores the unique nature of Nevada’s gaming market; Las Vegas has no legal online casinos despite being the gambling destination in the US, making on-site labor relations critical for local operators.
One unresolved issue is timing. The source report said it was not yet clear whether the NLRB’s Las Vegas-based Region 28 office had formally served Red Rock with the order, a step that could affect compliance deadlines.
The larger case is still not over. Red Rock continues to seek Supreme Court review, but unless the court takes further action, the bargaining order remains in force.
