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The union that’s organizing dealers at Foxwoods casino says it plans a protest as the new MGM Grand facility opens next month.

The United Auto Workers has been campaigning for a year to organize table game dealers at Foxwoods Resort Casino – last fall workers voted in favor of affiliating with the union, but the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, the owner of Foxwoods is still disputing the jurisdiction of federal labor laws on its reservation.  The UAW announced Monday that it will organize a major protest as the tribe opens its new MGM Grand expansion on May 17th.  Julie Kushner of the UAW says dealers at the MGM Grand have been told they will not be allowed to join the union.

"There’s no question that this is one facility, this is one gaming license, and these people are not going to get away with separating out MGM – it’s bogus, and the dealers know that.  There’s one casino, one union, one toke, no smoke."

The opening of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods is a significant event for the Mashantucket Pequot tribe – it will almost double the size of the facilities it runs in Southeastern Connecticut.  The new tower will include 55 thousand square feet of gaming space, a hotel with more than 800 rooms, a four thousand seat theater and conference facilities.