FAIRFAX (VA) — A coalition of unions including the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO and Fairfax County Federation of Teachers will gather outside of the Fairfax County Government Center on Tuesday to show their support for a Tysons Entertainment District Casino.

Fairfax County Jobs Coalition, a newly-formed coalition of Fairfax County employers, sent out an announcement on Friday stating that the entertainment and casino district will generate over 5,000 new jobs.

Virginia Diamond, President of NoVA Labor Federation AFL-CIO, said: “Union agreements are in place and provide for a fair decision-making process that allows thousands of workers the opportunity to choose permanent union jobs, which would drastically raise living standards in our locality for workers with low incomes.”

Diamond expressed her union’s support of the casino in testimony to the Virginia Senate Subcommittee on Resources on February 1, 2008.

The rally on Tuesday is set to begin at 8:45 a.m. This will be an hour prior to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

Virginia Senator Dave Marsden, D-Burke told Patch that in September he intended to reintroduce his casino referendum legislation following the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee vote in February. The committee voted to put it on hold until the 2025 session.

Marsden’s Bill, if passed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, would allow the voters to decide if a casino should be built on Metro’s Silver Line just outside of the Capital Beltway.

Marsden cited the creation of 5,000 jobs in unions as one reason for creating an entertainment district with a casino. His supporters, such as Virginia Senate Majority leader Scott Surovell, D-Alexandria, promoted the casino to Fairfax County because it would provide a revenue source for county programs that are too dependent on real estate taxes.

Greg Akerman is the president of local Building Trades unions. “The developer agreed to the project labor agreement” for the entertainment district. A PLA ensures that Fairfax County workers receive wages sufficient to support their families, and they have access to apprenticeship programs.

Patch , in September 2023, broke the news that Comstock Holding Companies wanted to build a Casino somewhere along the Silver Line of Fairfax County.

Comstock Holdings and its allies, including employees, subsidiaries, and entities, have contributed more than $1,2 million since then to members of Virginia’s legislature in order to further their casino plan.

David Walrod is the president of Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.

According to the press release, in addition to a gaming casino, this entertainment district will also include “a high-end hotel, a convention center, a concert venue, restaurants and retail shops, as well as workforce housing.” According to the release, 4 million square foot would be occupied by this entire project. The casino itself only occupies 200,000 square meters.

Patch reached out to the No Fairfax Casino Coalition for comment. The coalition is a vocal critic of the casino. Lynne Mulston provided the following statement as a spokesperson for the group:

The company who stands to gain from a casino at Tysons, or elsewhere in Fairfax County has adopted a different strategy. This is because momentum has started to grow and residents of Fairfax County are increasingly vocal about their opposition. The casino that they are proposing is being rebranded as a entertainment venue, relying on the unions’ endorsements and the hospitality company with connections to the developer. This will help to divert attention from negative associations with gambling and casinos.

They are wary of promises of overnight economic relief and doubt the claims that casino sponsors have made. The casino supporters have made unsubstantiated promises about overnight economic recovery. They doubt these claims.

On Jan. 24, during a meeting of the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technologys, several speakers spoke out in support of Marsden’s bill. These included Julie Coons of Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Benita Thompson Byas of Thompson Hospitality Corporation.

Coons said that the creation of the mixed-use complex, which would be transit-oriented, would add an estimated $2 billion in value to the area and create thousands of jobs.

Thompson Hospitality, according to Thompson Byas, was a minor partner in the project. It manages regional restaurant chains such as Big Buns matchbox and Milk & Honey.