Resorts World Master Cook Wrongly Fired for Abusing Bacon

• Judge rules chef fired over bacon was retaliated against
• No footage or witnesses supported bacon box accusation
• Cook filed food safety complaints before sudden dismissal
  

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A former master cook at Resorts World Las Vegas who was fired for allegedly mishandling bacon has won a wrongful termination case against the casino resort. That’s after a federal labor judge ruled Brian Satake was in fact fired in retaliation for expressing concerns about food safety.

Satake, who worked at the Strip property’s Famous Foods Street Eats venue, was terminated in April 2023, shortly after complaining to management about potential health code violations in the kitchen.

Satake’s dismissal was ostensibly over the claim that he stored unpackaged, ready-to-eat Chinese bacon in a cardboard box rather than a metal pan, itself a health code violation.

‘Bacon Violation’ was Retaliation

But Judge Andrew Gollin of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that explanation was “pretextual” and the real reason was his repeated internal complaints.

The cook denied it ever happened, and no surveillance footage supported the claim, according to the ruling. Meanwhile, none of the managers who disciplined Satake saw the alleged incident occur. One supervisor admitted during testimony that Satake was not interviewed as part of the investigation.

In early April 2023, following his return from FMLA leave, Satake filed complaints and statements under the collective bargaining agreement against kitchen managers and other cooks, including potential health code violations regarding product being improperly handled and stored,” Gollin noted.

Satake, who was also active on the union bargaining committee, had documented complaints about unsafe food storage, harassment from managers, and retaliatory work assignments. In total, he filed at least four statements with Team Member Relations (TMR), the resort’s HR department, in the weeks leading up to his dismissal. The bacon allegation came the day after Satake filed his final complaint.

The judge also found that Satake’s supervisor, assistant chef Jayson Ocilka, had openly expressed frustration with Satake’s complaints and union activity. Ocilka allegedly threatened to give Satake “a write-up every day” and to “clean house” if Satake continued to raise concerns.

Cook Got Burned

In his conclusion, Gollin found Resorts World’s investigation and termination process deeply flawed. “The Respondent’s discharge of Satake was pretextual and a direct result of animus toward his protected activity,” he wrote.

In addition to reinstatement, the judge ordered the company to “make Satake whole” for any loss of earnings and other benefits and reimburse job-search expenses.

The resort has not commented on the decision and has not said whether it intends to appeal.