An agreement has been reached between UNITE HERE Local 49 and Blue Lake Rancheria to unionize hospitality workers. This makes Blue Lake Rancheria the first tribe on the North Coast to do so.

Workers from Blue Lake Hotel and Casino, local restaurants and gas stations will be represented by the Local 49 labor union.

The Tribe began to work with the employees’ desires to unionize seeing it as a progressive form of employee retention. This news comes as ongoing labor shortages have impacted the hospitality, service and retail industries.

“Once the workers made the decision to unionize, the Tribe negotiated in good faith to achieve a mutually beneficial contract in a short timeframe,” said Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Administrator Jason Ramos.