Indiana’s Teamsters Union Sues Shelbyville Over Casino Strike Dispute
The labor fight at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino has escalated to federal court. Teamsters Local 135 has taken legal action against Shelbyville and its police chief. The union claims the city violated workers’ rights by removing strikers from public property.
Horseshoe Indianapolis casino
Teamsters Local 135
legal action against
Shelbyville
and its police chief
Shelbyville Faces Federal Lawsuit Over Alleged Suppression of Casino Workers’ Picket Line
The lawsuit filed on November 6 in the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana alleges that city officials told union members to relocate their picket line away from the casino entrances even though the union maintained that the protest took place on public easements, reported The Indiana Lawyer. The suit claims that the city’s actions violated the workers’ rights protected by both the First Amendment and the National Labor Relations Act, which guard legal picketing and gathering.
US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
The Indiana Lawyer
city’s actions violated the workers’ rights
About 200 dealers and dual-rate workers have walked off the job since mid-October in what union leaders call a “recognition strike.” They want Caesars Entertainment, the casino’s parent company, to recognize their union after talks stalled and elections got delayed for months. Workers demand better pay, improved short-term disability coverage, and safer casino parking areas.
200 dealers and dual-rate workers
Caesars Entertainment
The union says employees planned to vote on forming a bargaining unit on October 17. However, a federal government shutdown stopped National Labor Relations Board elections across the country. Workers suggested using a neutral third-party to run the vote. Caesars said no, which led to the strike.
The union says
National Labor Relations Board elections
Union Lawsuit Claims Shelbyville Colluded With Caesars to Remove Peaceful Picket Line
Union members report they kept a calm presence on North Michigan Road for almost three weeks, taking turns to picket through bad weather. The lawsuit states that things got worse on November 5 when Shelbyville police officers, acting on the casino management’s request, told the protesters to leave the area. Teamsters officials say that officers later cautioned their president, Dustin Roach, that he might face charges for trespassing.
Union members report
North Michigan Road
Shelbyville police officers,
Teamsters officials
Dustin Roach
Caesars Entertainment has stayed quiet about the lawsuit. Shelbyville’s police department chose not to make a statement, explaining that they are still looking into the matter.
Caesars Entertainment
Shelbyville’s police department
Local 135 claims the city worked with businesses to stop a legal strike. After this happened, over a hundred strikers showed up at a city council meeting. They demanded someone take responsibility and said they would keep striking.
Local 135
The lawsuit, Teamsters Local Union No. 135 v. City of Shelbyville Indiana, and Chief Bill Dwenger, might decide two things. First, it could set limits on public protests near private property. Second, it could answer whether city officials can step in during ongoing labor disputes.
The lawsuit
Teamsters Local Union No. 135 v. City of Shelbyville Indiana, and Chief Bill Dwenger
While the court case moves forward, workers on strike keep up a smaller protest across the street. They say they will stick around “one day longer, one day stronger” until their right to form a union is accepted.
