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Las Vegas Hospitality Workers Vote To Strike Against Casino Resorts
Courtesy of Culinary Workers Union/Instagram
Las Vegas hospitality workers on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike at nearly 50 resorts across Las Vegas, according to the Culinary and Bartenders Unions.
Thousands of culinary workers Thomas and Mack Center on campus at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas over two days and voted 95% in favor of authorizing a strike.
According to the union, which represents 53,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas, contracts at 22 casino resorts covering 40,000 of those workers expired on Sept. 15. More than two dozen other casino resorts are still under a contract extension while negotiations continue.
“Today, Culinary and Bartenders Union members have sent the strongest message possible to the casino industry to settle a fair contract as soon as possible. We have negotiations scheduled next week with MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn/Encore Resorts and it’s up the three largest employers in Las Vegas to step up and do the right thing,” Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, said in a statement.
“If these gaming companies don’t come to an agreement, the workers have spoken and we will be ready to do whatever it takes – up to and including a strike. Workers brought every single one of these companies through the pandemic and into a great recovery, and workers deserve a fair share. Companies are doing extremely well and we are demanding that workers aren’t left behind,” Pappageorge said.
The unions, which represent cooks, servers, bartenders, housekeepers, porters, and other hotel employees, are negotiating a new 5-year contract, and in addition to higher wages, they’re seeking a slew of job safety provisions.
For housekeepers, the union is seeking reduced room quotas and mandated daily room cleaning. Across all classifications of workers, the unions are seeking safety protections including wider use of safety buttons, and the tracking of sexual harassment, assault, and criminal behavior by customers.
The unions are also seeking privacy from tracking technologies created by the companies, the right to bargain over the introduction of new tracking technologies, and the right to consent to third-party data sharing that workers have generated. They are also seeking severance and health care for workers laid off due to the introduction of new technology.
The unions are also calling for an expansion workers’ recall rights to return to their jobs in the event of another pandemic or economic crisis.
“I voted yes to authorize a strike because I’m fighting for my family and for our future,” said Culinary Union member Maria Sanchez, a guest room attendant at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, an MGM property. “The workload since the pandemic has been intense and when I get home I’m so tired and I don’t have energy to take my two kids to the park or play with them. I feel sad like I’m just living to work and it’s not right. I was thinking about getting a second job, but I’m already doing more than one job at work right now and I believe that one job should be enough!”
A walkout by the union, Nevada’s largest, would cripple operations on the Las Vegas Strip, where most of the properties are located.
The move follows major strikes by the United Auto Workers, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, and the Writers Guild of America, which just won a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios and streamers. Earlier this year, UPS reached a deal with the Teamsters before workers walked out on a strike that would have severely disrupted the economy.
TMX contributed to this article.
