Horseshoe Indianapolis Casino Workers Unionize With Teamsters Local 135
Posted on: December 8, 2025, 08:05h.
Last updated on: December 8, 2025, 08:05h.
- Horseshoe Indianapolis dealers have joined Teamsters
- The unionization ends a two-month strike at the Shelbyville casino
The strike at Horseshoe Casino Indianapolis in Shelbyville is over after table game dealers and dual rate supervisors voted to join the Teamsters.
After a more than two-month strike due to Caesars Entertainment refusing to allow an independent third-party auditor to handle the union vote amid the federal government shutdown, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finally intervened and tallied the vote. A majority of the authorization cards were in support of recognizing the International Brotherhood as its bargaining agent and collective representative.
When the government shutdown in October postponed their union certification vote, dealers at Horseshoe Casino in Shelbyville, Indianapolis, didn’t give up on joining the Teamsters. Members called a ‘recognition strike’ promising to picket the company until their union was recognized by the employer,” a Teamsters statement read.
The Horseshoe Indianapolis dealers and dual rate workers are joining Teamsters Local 135, one of the largest Teamsters locals with more than 12K members. Along with casino workers, the chapter represents employees in the airline, construction, warehousing, and freight industries.
Delayed Unionization
Caesars Entertainment, which runs the Shelbyville casino, used the federal government shutdown to stall the dealer union vote. The Las Vegas-based casino giant rejected pleas from Teamsters brass to bring in an auditor to conduct the election, a responsibility typically handled by the NLRB.
Being a nonessential arm of the US government, most NLRB functions, including the conducting of union elections, were paused during the record 43-day shutdown. The White House Council of Economic Advisors estimated that the shutdown cost Indiana more than $1.5 billion in Gross State Product, or the total economic output of the state’s goods and services.
With Caesars refusing to recognize an auditor to allow the casino workers to submit support cards, the dealers and dual rates walked off the job. Law enforcement and a federal judge had to get involved when Caesars said the strike site located just out front of the casino’s parking garage constituted private property. The picket was subsequently moved across N. Michigan to a surface parking lot.
The walkout included about 200 workers. The dual-rate employees deal cards on the casino’s 65 table games but also work as floor supervisors during certain shifts.
Horseshoe Indianapolis is already partially unionized, as Teamsters Local 135 represents slot attendants.
Union Demands
Horseshoe Indianapolis generated gross gaming revenue of $332.2 million in the state’s 2025 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2025. That was the second-highest among Indiana’s 13 casinos, with only Hard Rock Northern Indiana higher at $444.3 million.
The Horseshoe casino won $336.4 million in the 2024 fiscal year, $348.4 million in 2023, and $334.6 million in 2022.
Teamsters Local 135 says it will fight for better pay, fairer tip pooling, and increased job security for its table game dealers and dual rates.
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