Catherwood LibraryILR School

A bill that would exempt Native American casinos from a federal labor law allowing workers to unionize, which cleared the House last week, has support from an unusual mix of Republicans and Democrats who contend the exemption is critical to keeping Indian tribes’ fragile economies afloat. But it has also garnered opposition from labor unions that call it an affront to workers’ rights, saying that the bill would strip the estimated 600,000 workers connected to tribal casinos of collective bargaining rights and other protections under the NLRA, like the right to seek workplace improvements without retaliation. President Barack Obama has also voiced opposition and wants changes to the measure that would require tribes to adapt labor practices equivalent to NLRA standards.