In Nevada and the Station Casinos brand of prominent land-based casino operator Red Rock Resorts Incorporated is reportedly being sued over alleged breaches of the western state’s ‘right to return’ work law.

According to a Tuesday report from The Nevada Independent news source, the lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court by the Local 226 chapter of the Culinary Workers Union contends that the Las Vegas-headquartered firm broke the law by making 76 non-gaming employees officially redundant in 2021. The source detailed that these workers had been laid off at the start of Nevada’s coronavirus-related lockdown some 78 days earlier but were not brought back even though the legislature passed a measure to explicitly prohibit such moves.

Costly capacity:

Nasdaq-listed Red Rock Resorts Incorporated is responsible for 21 casino and entertainment properties with the alleged breaches of Senate Bill 386 reportedly involving employees at six of its Station Casinos-branded venues in southern Nevada. The lawsuit is purportedly seeking damages that could eventually top $10.4 million encompassing the payment of about $137,000 to every one of the laid-off workers.

Plaintiff’s plea:

Ted Pappageorge serves as the Secretary Treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union and he reportedly told The Nevada Independent that 98% of his group’s Nevada members were laid off during the coronavirus-related lockdown although around 80% have since returned to work. He furthermore declared that Station Casinos had held multiple job fairs ahead of the implementation of Senate Bill 386 ‘to fill open positions with new workers instead of bringing back their former employees.’

Reportedly read a statement from Pappageorge…

“The law requires companies to bring workers back to work. They cannot decide to toss them out like an old shoe. Station Casinos, which fought enactment of the law every step of the way, isn’t following the law and they need to do the right thing. Their current and former employees demand and deserve justice.”

Defiant defendant:

For its part and Red Rock Resorts Incorporated reportedly disclosed that it had paid the salaries of its full and part-time workers for some of Nevada’s coronavirus-related shutdown but took the decision to make the litigating employees redundant a full month before the state allowed its Station Casinos-branded properties to re-open. A spokesperson for the casino operator purportedly described the lawsuit as ‘the latest in a series of empty publicity stunts’ from the Culinary Workers Union with the expressed intent of distracting onlookers from the fact that the union had ‘failed its members and was completely ineffective throughout the pandemic.’

Confusing character:

A spokesperson for the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Teri Williams, reportedly told The Nevada Independent that the agency had received in excess of 25 complaints regarding possible violations of Senate Bill 386 but that none had been upheld.

A statement from Williams reportedly read…

“The main reason for the claims or complaints being closed is that the employee did not contact the employer first about a return to work as required by Senate Bill 386.”