Nevada Independent CEO Jon Ralston is upset that political leaders would not attend his fundraising event at Durango Casino & Resort and says he is sad about it. 

Those leaders made their own decision and they did so for a simple reason: to stand with workers. 

Station Casinos is currently facing serious federal allegations of anti-worker conduct in the form of a complaint issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging what amounts to unlawful union busting. There are plenty of other places in Las Vegas to hold an event that do not come with that kind of baggage. 

For years, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 has encouraged elected officials, customers and community allies who support workers’ rights to stay out of Station Casinos properties in an act of solidarity. 

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have all met with workers who are organizing and they understand the stakes. More than 5,200 workers at eight properties voted for a union and the federal government has alleged that Station Casinos attempted to undermine that choice. 

Two examples of Station Casinos’ anti-worker behavior stand out. In 2024, the NLRB found that Red Rock Casino Resort Spa engaged in serious misconduct designed to prevent workers from choosing a union. The federal government ordered Red Rock to bargain. The company appealed but we are confident the ruling will stand. 

Station Casinos is also embroiled in a major NLRB trial involving allegations that the company used pandemic layoffs to target union supporters, refused to hire pro-union workers, assisted decertification efforts and gave perks to workers who opposed the union. When challenged, the company sought to stop the trial in court. That effort was rejected. 

We think that it’s sad to see Station Casinos’ shameful behavior against its own employees. 

Holding bad actors accountable is important to Ralston, and it’s important to us too. That’s why the Culinary Union has long supported independent media and local reporters in Las Vegas, including The Nevada Independent. That’s not going to change. As a union, we will also continue highlighting anti-worker companies and demand that they are held accountable.

Ralston also recently shared a decade-old email from Sen. Harry Reid. Reid’s legacy is clear: He fought and delivered for working people, stood with the Culinary Union and consistently supported Station Casinos workers who were organizing. 

Ralston has also questioned whether old political contributions by Station Casinos to Rosen and Ford say something about them as political leaders today. What speaks louder is how leaders act — and clearly they have chosen to stand with working families. 

The Culinary Union will continue to focus on what matters. We will protect workers’ rights to organize, support families who face retaliation for exercising those rights, protect affordable health care for more than 120,000 Nevadans, help 1,800 working families buy their first home and train tens of thousands of hospitality workers for good union jobs. 

The Culinary Union is a pillar of Nevada’s middle class. We are not sad. We are proud of our 90-year legacy and the workers who built it. 

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer 
Diana Valles, president 
Leain Vashon, vice-president and bell captain 

Executive board members:

Elena Newman, guest room attendant 
Emma Loya, guest room attendant 
Febe Rodriguez, guest room attendant 
Jennifer Marshall, food server 
Kimberly Dopler, cocktail server 
Mariano Minero, houseperson 
Stella Kalaoram, guest room attendant 
Francisco Rufino Parra, cook 
Charetzayda Gonzalez Del Valle, guest room attendant 
Victor Juarez Rivera, cook 
Heidy Chan, Rio, guest room attendant 
Jesus Navarro, cook 
Holly Lang, cocktail server