Bally’s Black Hawk Workers Secure Union Representation Through Card-Check Vote

Employees across Bally’s three Black Hawk properties completed a card-check vote that brought them into Teamsters Local 455 and created the first union for casino workers anywhere in Colorado while the process covered 110 people employed as bartenders, cashiers, cooks, maintenance technicians, slot attendants and slot technicians.

The vote followed a neutrality agreement the company and the union reached in November 2025 and observers note the card-check method allowed workers to demonstrate support through signed authorization cards rather than a traditional secret-ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.

Details of the Representation Vote

Workers at the East, North and West properties participated in the card-check process during the weeks after the neutrality agreement took effect and the final tally showed majority support for joining Local 455 which now holds bargaining rights for the combined group of 110 employees across all three sites. The agreement required Bally’s to remain neutral during the organizing drive and to recognize the union once a majority of workers submitted cards which streamlined the timeline compared with contested elections that can stretch for months.

Scope of Jobs Included in the Bargaining Unit

The unit encompasses frontline positions that keep the casinos running daily and these roles include bartenders who serve guests at multiple bars, cashiers who handle cage transactions, cooks who prepare food in the kitchens, maintenance technicians who perform repairs throughout the facilities, slot attendants who assist players on the gaming floor and slot technicians who maintain and repair the machines themselves. Each category brings distinct responsibilities yet all fall under the single bargaining unit that Local 455 will represent in future contract talks.

Black Hawk sits in the foothills west of Denver and hosts one of Colorado’s three limited-stakes gaming markets alongside Central City and Cripple Creek and Bally’s operates the largest cluster of properties in the town which gives the new bargaining unit a visible presence within the regional industry.

Background on the Neutrality Agreement

The November 2025 neutrality agreement set the ground rules for the organizing campaign and under its terms Bally’s pledged not to interfere with workers’ decisions while the Teamsters committed to a focused drive aimed at the three properties and the pact also established a timeline for the card-check vote which concluded successfully for the union in the months that followed. Such agreements appear more frequently in service-sector organizing because they reduce the length of campaigns and limit public disputes between management and labor.

Statewide Context for Casino Labor

Colorado’s casino industry has operated without union representation at any property until this vote and the outcome at Bally’s therefore marks a new development for the sector that includes table games, slots and hospitality services across the mountain towns and industry reports from the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission track employment figures yet had not previously recorded a certified bargaining unit among casino workers. The addition of Local 455 introduces collective bargaining to a workforce that previously negotiated terms individually with each employer.

Next Steps After Certification

With the vote certified the union and Bally’s management will begin negotiations for an initial contract that covers wages, benefits, scheduling and workplace procedures and the process typically involves regular meetings between union representatives and company officials while the National Labor Relations Board retains oversight to ensure both sides bargain in good faith. Workers in the newly represented roles can expect updates through union meetings and posted notices at the three properties as talks progress.

Conclusion

The card-check vote at Bally’s East, North and West casinos stands as the first instance of union representation for Colorado casino employees and the 110 workers in the listed job categories now hold certified bargaining rights through Teamsters Local 455 following the neutrality agreement reached in November 2025. Future contract negotiations will determine specific terms while the certification itself remains on record with the National Labor Relations Board as a completed organizing drive.