The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians announced this week two agreements with unionized workers at the Little River Casino Resort.
Meanwhile a federal court will decide whether tribal law governing unionization goes far enough to protect workers. The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to begin oral arguments today.
Many in Indian Country argue federal labor law doesn't not apply on the reservation and it's rare that an Indian nation will allow unions in casinos. The Little River Band does, but on it's own terms. Under the tribe's law, workers cannot strike and the tribe can determine "the terms and conditions under which collective bargaining may or may not occur."
Those are some key differences between tribal law and federal labor law. The National Labor Relations Board argues the casino must follow federal law. They say 85 percent of workers at the casino are non-Indian, as are most of its customers.
But the tribe argues casino revenues basically act as a tax base and that under federal Indian law, the tribe should be left to make it's own laws governing labor.