Bally’s Colorado Casino Workers Become State’s First to Unionize

In what the labor organization says is a first for Colorado casino workers, employees at Bally’s three Black Hawk venues voted to join Teamsters Local 455.

The vote, conducted through a card-check process, applies to 110 workers across Bally’s East, North, and West properties in the Colorado casino town. Affected employees include bartenders, cashiers, cooks, maintenance technicians, slot attendants, and slot technicians, among others.

Last November, Bally’s and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters struck a neutrality accord, paving the way for the union vote.

Teamsters Adding Casino Membership

With more than 1.3 million members, the Teamsters are one of the oldest and largest organized labor groups in the U.S.

Its gaming footprint is small relative to other industries, but it is growing as it now represents “nearly 6,000 members at casinos and casino hotels” across the country. Other gaming venues where staff are Teamsters include Wynn Resorts’ Encore Boston Harbor and the Hard Rock Casino Rockford in Illinois.

Bally’s and the Teamster have established ties as well. In February, 66 bankers, front desk workers, and cashiers at Bally’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Miss. voted to join the Teamsters.

In January, Bally’s Twin River Casino — located in the operator’s home state of Rhode Island — reached a new five-year, benefit-enhancing agreement with the Teamsters. That accord covers 35 maintenance and valet employees.

Colorado Agreement Could Be Fruitful

In Black Hawk, the Bally’s/Teamsters relationship is noteworthy because the town is one of the fastest-growing gaming markets in the country.

Whether workers at other gaming venues in the state opt to unionize remains to be seen, but there are plenty of properties at which that could occur as Black Hawk is home to a dozen casinos, including the trio of Bally’s properties, according to the state.

Other well-known operators in the area include Caesars Entertainment, Monarch Casino & Resort and Penn Entertainment.

Bally’s also runs a namesake racino in Aurora, Colo. The company’s West segment includes the quarter of Colorado properties as well as Bally’s Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nev. and a development project on the Las Vegas Strip.