Resorts World Las Vegas is beloved by fans who enjoys its flashy exterior, gourmet restaurants and high roller options.
But in an ongoing dispute, Operating Engineers Local 501 has upped its accusations against Resorts World's parent company Genting Group of Malaysia, and they're going after Genting Group for its business connection to a Russian oil operator called Sinopec.
State of Nevada contributor and commentator John L. Smith shared more with host Joe Schoenmann.
The union hasn’t been able –so far– to organize a union at Resorts World. They’re reaching out to Governor Steve Sisolak for help.
“They're trying to pry loose an organizing effort there at the hotel, which so far has been unsuccessful. And you know, in theory, these are very serious allegations. But they’re also allegations against a fully licensed Nevada gaming operator that has already passed muster with gaming researchers and investigators,” Smith said.
The resort’s parent company is made of “a million moving parts,” he said, including hotels, interests and connections with Chinese state-sponsored operators. The union is highlighting an alleged connection between the property's parent company and Sinopec, a Russian petrochemical company that has been sanctioned and is prohibited from doing business in the U.S.
“It's a volatile issue internationally, however, how it affects something like a labor negotiation in Las Vegas remains to be seen,” Smith said.
Can it affect their gaming license in Las Vegas? Smith said it could reflect poorly on local interests.
“If they haven't done their due diligence when they licensed this company, it could reflect negatively on the system itself. That's really what they're trying to hammer away at, that they're raising the issue, attempting to raise the suspicion of whether this licensee was properly vetted before it received its license,” Smith said.
Resorts World management has kept their statements simple, he said, noting they claim they’ve followed all the necessary rules and regulations.
John L. Smith, contributor, State of Nevada
