Scandal in Shelbyville, IN: Mayor’s office aids Caesars, tries to break strike at Horseshoe casino

Shelbyville, IN — The historic strike at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino has taken a dramatic and scandalous turn.

Since October 17, table games dealers and dual rates—workers who deal cards part of the week and serve as floor leads the rest—have led a militant strike demanding that Caesars Entertainment recognize their union with Teamsters Local 135 and bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions.

Caesars, which earned $9.5 billion in revenue in 2024 and reported $336 million from Horseshoe Indianapolis alone, has waged a sweeping anti-union campaign since September. Now the city of Shelbyville has become an active participant on the side of big business.

For 20 days, workers lawfully picketed on the public easements and right-of-way outside the casino’s three entrances on North Michigan Road.

Everything changed on November 5, when Shelbyville police, standing shoulder to shoulder with casino security and management, evicted strikers by force and threatened trespass and arrest. Officers claimed the sidewalks, easement, and roadside were all “private property.” Yet North Michigan Road is a historic public road connecting county roads, lined with homes and farms, and carrying public easements by definition.

How could police justify this sudden reversal?

Because the mayor’s office struck a corrupt bargain with Caesars the day before.

A quiet morning meeting, a major strike-breaking scheme

On November 4, Mayor Scott Furgeson’s administration handed Caesars exactly what it wanted.

That morning, the Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety held a brief meeting with only two members present – both appointed by the mayor. There was no public debate, no explanation, and no acknowledgment of the citywide controversy surrounding the strike, despite continuous police presence at the picket line.

In minutes, the board approved a legal agreement with Caesars’ shell company, Centaur Acquisition LLC, redefining ownership of the land in front of the casino.

The city used a long-ignored paperwork technicality to redraw the public right-of-way into the narrowest possible shape, directly aiding Caesars’ efforts to break the strike.

The “Confirmation of Implied Dedication of Roadway Easement” declared that the public only owns the roadway “from curb to curb.” Everything outside the curb, including the entire grassy shoulder and roadside where strikers stood, was declared Caesars’ private property.

The board voted 2-0 to adopt this unusually restrictive dedication. They did not request shoulder access, pedestrian easements, or the traditional centerline-based right-of-way used throughout Indiana.

City Attorney Jennifer Meltzer admitted in the meeting minutes that the original easement from the 2008–09 road realignment was never recorded. Instead of correcting that omission in line with standard Indiana practice, she framed the new dedication as “preventing issues 30 to 50 years down the line.” She made no mention of the immediate issue unfolding outside Horseshoe—where the strike was entering its fourth week.

The timing speaks for itself.

Less than 24 hours later, police move in

On November 5, armed with the new agreement, Shelbyville police and Horseshoe management moved to expel workers from the roadside. Officers tore down tents and canopies set up to withstand freezing nights and threatened arrests for standing where strikers had legally stood for three weeks.

Only when officers sought trespass warrants did a judge refuse to sign them, noting the city could not prove the workers were not on public easement.

The message from city hall was unmistakable: Shelbyville was now enforcing Caesars’ strike-breaking strategy. In doing so, Mayor Furgeson has revealed himself as an enemy of the very working families he is supposed to serve.

Scandal in Shelbyville

Caesars is a multi-billion-dollar corporation desperate to stop its workers from forming a union. The strike has severely damaged operations and profits. Instead of remaining neutral, Mayor Scott Furgeson’s administration intervened on the company’s behalf, using government power to eliminate public space, restrict free speech and undermine federally protected labor rights.

The deal was rushed through quietly, with no public comment and no transparency. It wasn’t “administrative clean-up.” It was a political favor to a corporation during an active strike.

The strike unbroken

On the night of November 5, more than 100 striking workers and supporters flooded the Shelbyville city council meeting to condemn the city for siding with Caesars. The next day, many dealers wrote letters to Mayor Furgeson and called his office directly. Strike captains are preparing further escalation to force the city to abandon its support for Caesars’ union-busting tactics.

Despite the city’s maneuver, the Horseshoe strike remains unbroken. Strikers have regrouped across the street on a confirmed public lot, continuing 24/7 picketing under bitter conditions.

Disciplined, determined and militant, the dealers and dual rates have made one thing clear: They will not stop until their union is recognized.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #IBT135 #Strike #Featured

Source: https://fightbacknews.org/scandal-in-shelbyville-in-mayors-office-aids-caesars-tries-to-break-strike?pk_campaign=rss-feed