Is there a Seminole Tribe of Florida deal afoot to bring unions to the Florida Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos? Nobody is saying -- not even to issue a denial.
But the question is one Gov. Rick Scott might be asking as he begins negotiating a new gaming compact with the tribe.
The Seminoles have signed off on such an agreement with two unions in Wisconsin -- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1444 and the UAW Local 72 -- for a new Hard Rock casino resort in Wisconsin.
The Florida tribe haspartnered withthe Menominee Tribeof Wisconsinto open an $808 million casino complex on the site of a now-shuttered, off-reservation dog track in Kenosha.
Sunshine State News contacted Seminole Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen and Michael Beightol ofCoyote Marsh & Associates Inc., spokesman for the casino project, to see if unions would be as welcome at the Hollywood and Tampa Hard Rocks as they are in the Badger State, but neither responded.
Gov. Scott Walker has until Feb. 19 to decide whether the destination resort-casino is a go. Wisconsin history and politics have left Walker holding all the cards in making that decision.
There are a number of reasons why Walker might be leaning toward refusing the casino proposal.
First, the Menominee and the unions actually teamed up a decade ago. Their goal was to stop Wisconsin Republicans from requiring legislative approval of new off-reservation casinos (the new Hard Rock will be 160 miles from the Menominee reservation). They succeeded. The GOPs bill failed to get enough votes in 2004, but a new version passed in 2006 -- only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat.
Republicans just dropped the matter after that, and the feds approved the Menominee casino -- leaving the decision in Walkers hands.
Second, during Walker's re-election campaign,United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1444 was actively spending money campaigning against him.
Walker could have made the casino decision in August but postponed it, knowing his re-election would be tight, and hoping to avoid turning an Indian casino into an election issue.
Now the governor is getting pressure from both sides -- from the Menominee, poorest tribe in Wisconsin, on the pro side, and assorted anti-gambling forces on the opposing side.
The Menominee involved the Seminole Tribe because they say they can't get their casino off the ground without a cash partner. Who better, they ask, than the rich Seminoles, and what better brand than Hard Rock?
Its not known how much the Menominee will actually benefit from a casino run by Hard Rock International. Richard Monette, a casino law expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, estimates the Florida tribe could take 30 percent to 40 percent of the casinos total revenue.
The Menominee and the Seminoles have already promised the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1444 and the UAW Local 72 they will allow card check -- a controversial union organizing tactic -- to decide if the casinos employees unionize.
In a card check organizing "shop," if 50 percent plus one employee sign a card, the union is recognized. There is no secret ballot in card check. It opens the door to workplace intimidation and coercion, insist union opponents.
Brian Nemoir of Enough Already Wisconsin calls card check "the easiest method allowing unionization. He asked, Does the state need to take a step backward, opening the door to forced unionization?
Julianne Appling of Wisconsin Family Action said in an official statement that part of the reason WFA opposes the Kenosha casino is "we have openly supported Gov. Walkers Act 10 and its provisions that allow workers to decide for themselves whether or not to join a union. We believe that is part of the liberty we have in this country and that such rights help dads and moms find companies that are good to work for as they seek to provide for their families. We believe the public has a right to know if secret negotiations between the Menomonee Tribe and labor unions would violate workers rights.
The Kenosha Hard Rock is expected to employ 3,000, which attorney George Ermert of Martin Schreiber & Associates Inc. -- representing casino opponents -- describes as "an enticing prospect for membership-hungry unions that are bleeding members."
Like Wisconsin's Walker, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has a decision to make. He is expected to resume negotiations soon with the Seminole Tribe of Florida over the agreement that gave the tribe exclusive rights to blackjack and other table games in exchange for $1 billion over five years.
During the Florida Gaming Congress in November, Hard Rock CEO Allen said of the Seminoles' compact with the state, "We're hopeful to continue the relationship that's been so successful."
Contract renegotiation is Priority No. 1 for the tribe. They have been clearing out space at the Seminole Paradise in Hollywood. Analysts predict an additional hotel will be built next to the existing 500-room structure now at about 95 percent capacity,
But Gov. Scott, who made it clear during his re-election campaign he considers unions the antithesis of job creation, is unlikely to sign anything that would enable union expansion in Florida.
Scott -- especially if he is in touch with the Wisconsin governor -- is likely to ask about unions as negotiations progress.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
