At a House hearing Thursday, Indian tribes spoke out for legislation to overturn an order by the National Labor Relations Board which placed tribes under the board's jurisdiction.

The labor board's order, which came in response to an organizing dispute at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Southern California, is being fought in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit by the country's leading tribes.

Both sides say the case could be precedent-setting. Meanwhile, tribes have worked with a friendly lawmaker (and top recipient of tribal campaign donations), Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., who's introduced a bill that would amend the National Labor Relations Act to say that tribes are not governed by it.

The order came after the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union filed a complaint against the San Manual Band of Mission Indians contending the tribe violated labor rules by allowing the Communications Workers of America access to its casino for organizing while denying access to HERE. The tribe filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the board had no jurisdiction.

Noting that the explosion of Indian gambling had transformed once-poor tribes into major employers of non-Indians, the order said that tribes were now acting more like traditional businesses than like sovereign governments, and should be treated as such.

Some unions, including HERE, have alleged that workers at casinos are subject to unfair labor practices. But tribes say their workers are treated well and that tribes can handle labor issues themselves.

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