STATESIDE


geography, hundreds of properties nationwide have staffs representing dozens of backgrounds and nationalities. Requiring ‘Equity’ in Coronavirus Relief and


Response: The new “COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force” will ensure the “equity” of coronavirus relief and intervention. The original vaccine parameters were age, existing health issues and essential job status. Many states inadequately planned, leaving the public scrambling, but conditions have improved. Most casino employees face customers every day. Older


workers and those exposed to uncertain risks should be first, regardless of ethnicity or race. Guaranteeing unemployment insurance for workers


who refuse work due to Covid-19: Biden asked the Department of Labor (DOL) to analyze its rules so workers “have a federally guaranteed right to refuse employment that will jeopardize their health.” Anyone who does may still receive unemployment insurance. Casinos are reopening more facilities with additional


safety precautions. Should their employees who refuse work be compensated? Maybe it depends on the position. Promoting Consultation with Tribes: A “respect for


Tribal sovereignty and self-governance” and “commitment to fulfilling Federal trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations” has motivated decisions to “advance environmental justice.” Biden canceled the 1,200-mile Keystone XL pipeline


system. Already under construction, it will carry crude oil from Canada to the U.S., but will also encroach on Indigenous tribal lands. I’m torn on this. Pipelines employ tens of thousands while being cleaner and safer than transporting oil on trains that often derail. However, tribal sovereignty gives them a definite say about their lands. Multiple tribes now disagree because of jobs and commercial opportunities. Reinstating Covid-19 travel restrictions: All non-US citizens traveling from Brazil, the UK, Ireland, most of Europe and South Africa may not enter the US. Forget about G2E or other international shows for


now if that holds. Revoking Trump Order to Streamline Federal


Workforce: Unions are a major Biden constituency and want greater relevance to increase their declining membership numbers. Early private-sector unions formed to protect on-the-job safety, public health and job security. Government regulations addressed items one and two, leaving only jobs and wages. Many Democrats had pushed Biden for a $15-per-hour


minimum for federal workers. The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFEE) and American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), count more than 775,000 members in 200-plus unions nationwide. Public employee unions were originally illegal and remain


controversial. They bargain and contribute to legislators and governmental officials, giving taxpayers little say. Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)


called public service unions a “danger.” His 1937 letter to the NFEE President said, “The desire of Government employees for fair and adequate pay, reasonable hours of work, safe and suitable working conditions, development of opportunities for advancement, facilities for fair and impartial consideration and review of grievances…is basically no different from that of employees in private industry…meticulous attention should be paid to the special relationships and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the Government.” In the private sector, the Right to Work status of 27


states lets workers reject forced unionization; 23 are non-Right to Work States. What is the difference? Right to Work laws guarantee American workers may join a union, but prohibits membership as an employment prerequisite. Does it matter for gaming? Decades ago, not so much, but because most states now permit gaming, unionization influences a state’s business model and economic health. DOL data confirms that Right to Work states enjoy


greater economic vitality, faster manufacturing and nonagricultural job growth, lower unemployment and fewer strikes. Areas with smaller casinos depend on the financial viability of their regional customers. The late Sheldon Adelson well understood Right to Work when cultivating the weekday Las Vegas convention industry. Would anyone unaffiliated with gaming really visit there in the summer heat? No, but convention organizers regularly rejected high union rates in non- Right to Work states. The AMOA (representing amusements) and IAAPA


(representing theme parks) left expensive cities like Chicago years ago. They relocated their annual conventions to cities like Las Vegas, Orlando or Nashville where lower taxes and favorable prices eliminated paying each union separately to complete one task. These giant convention centers in non-unionized states have attracted more business and benefitted the local economies. That helps many casino jurisdictions. It is far too early to make predictions as there is so much to evaluate. I promise more in upcoming columns.


MARCH 2021 9


Wiken/Adobe Stock


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