Report raises serious human rights concerns about working conditions at Station Casinos
Professor Fatma Marouf, fatma.marouf@unlv.edu; +1 (702) 895-2080
Professor Fatma Marouf, fatma.marouf@unlv.edu; +1 (702) 895-2080
On May 17, 2016, Professor Fatma Marouf, Co-Director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law, produced with co-authors Sameer Ashar, Clinical Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at U.C. Irvine Law School and Jennifer Rosenbaum, Robina Foundation Human Rights Fellow at Yale Law School, released a report titled "Banking on Unsafe Working Conditions: Placing Profits Before Protection of Casino & Hotel Workers' Human Rights in Deutsche Bank's U.S. Supply Chain."
The report, based on interviews with 101 employees of Station Casinos, raises serious human rights concerns related primarily to health and safety, including inadequate safety gear and precautions, preventable workplace injuries, inadequate protection from abuse by customers, severe mental stress, environmental hazards, and inability to take breaks. In addition, workers reported lack of job security, inadequate health insurance, excessive work without overtime pay, discouragement of freedom of association and collective bargaining, and not being treated with dignity and respect.
Examples of human rights abuses reported by the workers:
- Housekeepers reported being forced to clean up bodily fluids without proper chemicals or training;
- Workers reported numerous on-the-job injuries, including cuts, burns, eye infections, torn ligaments, twisted ankles, fractures, broken bones, and slip-and-falls;
- Workers described defective machinery, such as leaking dishwashers, broken steamers, and broken carts that reportedly resulted in some of the injuries mentioned above;
- Workers reported feeling afraid to inform management about injuries and unsafe conditions, or to call in sick because they feared being disciplined for doing so;
- Housekeepers spoke of being abused by guests and experiencing either negative repercussions, or no assistance from management, or feeling afraid to report such incidents;
- Workers reported excessive workloads and extreme stress due to understaffing;
- Workers reported infestations, inadequate cleaning supplies, and inadequate time to clean properly;
- Workers reported being forced to skip their breaks and to work with a broken clock;
- On-call workers reported lack of job security due to unpredictable hours;
- Workers reported being given more work than could reasonably be accomplished in a regular workday instead of being paid overtime;
- Some workers who support the union reported being more closely scrutinized by management, or felt management was looking for excuses to discipline or fire them;
The report recommends that both Station Casinos/Red Rock Resorts Inc. and Deutsche Bank, a part owner of the company, investigate and address the alleged abuses. The report applies a human rights analysis because Deutsche Bank has committed itself to following human rights principles and to holding its business partners accountable for any adverse human rights impacts.