San Pablo casino, workers reach labor agreement after years of strife

May 03--SAN PABLO -- Workers and management at San Pablo Lytton Casino have agreed to a new labor contract after years of bitter struggle.

Local 2850, which represents 200 workers at the casino, announced Friday the two sides had reached an agreement that includes wage increases of about 10 percent during the next two years and protects the status quo on employer-provided health insurance.

Moving forward, any insurance premium increases exceeding 20 percent in year two of the agreement will be shared equally by the casino and employees, said union spokeswoman Sarah Norr.

"Many of our workers at the casino make just a little more than minimum wage, so this agreement was needed," Norr said.

Casino officials did not return a call seeking comment Friday.

Norr said the agreement gives workers an average wage increase of $1.26 per hour and increases wage rates for new hires.

Negotiations between labor and management had dragged on for years and landed both sides in court.

Last year, union protesters marched on the casino and San Pablo City Hall after a federal labor judge ruled that the casino engaged in unfair labor practices while grappling with workers over wages, benefits and working conditions.

Before the court decision, the union lodged a series of complaints with the National Labor Relations Board's Oakland office, including that casino management bargained in bad faith, banned union organizers, bullied workers and unlawfully denied benefits.

But the prior animosity has cooled with the new contract, according to a union news release.

Tribal Chairwoman Margie Mejia of Lytton Rancheria, which owns the casino, said that while negotiations were long and sometimes difficult, in the end "they produced an agreement that recognized the importance of the employees to the casino and rewarded them for their loyalty and hard work," according to the news release.

Contact Robert Rogers at 510-262-2726 or [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter.com/SFBaynewsrogers.

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