Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act

Jan. 10, 2018 | S. 140

This bill amends the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 and denies coverage afforded by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to a large number of workers employed by tribal-owned and -operated enterprises located on Indian land. Among them are more than 600,000 tribal casino workers, the vast majority of whom are not Native Americans. In recent years, the number and type of enterprises affected has grown well beyond the gaming industry, and would now include mining operations, power plants, smoke shops, saw mills, construction companies, ski resorts, high-tech firms, hotels and spas. Many of these are commercial businesses that compete with non-Indian enterprises. The Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act passed the House on January 10, 2018.