More than 200 casino employees at Horseshoe Indianapolis, Indiana, have initiated a strike for union recognition following the indefinite postponement of their scheduled election. The decision to walk out comes after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversees union elections, suspended operations during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The NLRB announced on its website that it is “closed due to a lapse in appropriated funds,” effectively freezing all pending union elections, including the one planned for October 17. The delay has prompted workers to take matters into their own hands, with Teamsters Local 135 leading the effort to pressure casino management into proceeding with an alternative voting process.
Workers Demand Third-Party Election Oversight
As reported by Indianapolis Business Journal, Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach stated that the union had proposed keeping the original election date by allowing a neutral third party to conduct the vote instead of the NLRB. “But casino management has ignored the proposal while escalating an aggressive union-busting campaign,” the Teamsters said in a statement released Monday.
According to Roach, management’s refusal to cooperate left workers with little choice but to strike, beginning Tuesday, October 14, to urge Horseshoe management to agree to the proposed plan. The striking group consists mainly of table game dealers and dual-rate employees—staff who both manage and deal at gaming tables.
Roach described the workers’ move as unprecedented but legally sound, emphasizing that striking for union recognition is protected under the National Labor Relations Act. “Typically, employers agree to demands when a strike like this is threatened,” Roach told local media, adding that Horseshoe Indianapolis has yet to do so.
The union characterized the walkout as a “move virtually unseen in the modern labor movement,” given that the workers have not yet secured formal union recognition. Such strikes are rare but permitted under U.S. labor law when employees seek to compel management to negotiate election terms.
Teamsters Local 135 has prior experience with alternative voting processes. Roach noted that a similar third-party system was used for the Mayor’s Action Center’s recent union election earlier this year because certain public employees are excluded from NLRB activities.
Casino representatives have not yet commented on the situation, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Growing Labor Momentum in Indiana’s Gaming Sector
The strike marks another chapter in a growing trend of organized labor activity across Indiana’s casino industry. Teamsters Local 135 already represents warehouse staff and slot attendants at Horseshoe Indianapolis, who successfully unionized in 2023 when the property still operated under its former name, Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.
Elsewhere in the state, more than 140 Caesars Southern Indiana workers staged a 13-day strike in May amid contract talks. The union described the outcome as resulting in a “powerful five-year contract.”
Horseshoe Indianapolis, located in Shelbyville roughly 30 minutes southeast of downtown Indianapolis, is one of the state’s largest gambling venues. The casino features a racetrack, slot machines, and classic table games such as roulette and blackjack. According to Caesars Entertainment data, the company operated 2,875 gaming machines and 120 table games between its Horseshoe Indianapolis and Harrah’s Hoosier Park properties in 2021, employing around 1,415 staff across both locations.
In 2024, Horseshoe Indianapolis ranked as Indiana’s second-highest revenue-generating gambling facility, reporting $336 million in annual revenue.
