On December 13, the Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165 unions announced that they had agreed to terms with the Mirage on a new five-year labor deal that will cover approximately 1,700 workers at the iconic Strip casino.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the contract still needs to be ratified by union members at a later date.
The unions’ recent mega deals with the “Big 3” operators—Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment—included total wage increases of 32 percent over the life of the contract, as well as several other provisions related to worker safety, health benefits and daily room cleaning services, but it is unclear whether the most recent deals reflect those same terms.
The Mirage, which is owned by the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock Entertainment, will undergo extensive renovations and rebranding efforts in the next few years, including the demolition of the property’s iconic volcano attraction to make way for a new guitar-shaped hotel tower. The property will eventually be renamed as Hard Rock Las Vegas.
That same day the unions also announced a new five-year deal with the Tropicana, covering some 300 non-gaming employees at that property as well.
Ironically enough, the Tropicana is also slated to undergo radical changes in the near future, to the extent that the labor deal might not last the entire five-year term—the site has been earmarked for a new $1.5 billion stadium for the Oakland A’s, which just recently won approval for relocation to Las Vegas from Major League Baseball.
Developers for the project have told city officials that in order for the team to begin playing in Las Vegas for the 2028 season as planned, construction on the new stadium would need to start by April of 2025, meaning that the property would need to be fully demolished and cleared before then.
In a statement to the Nevada Independent, Culinary spokeswoman Bethany Khan that language surrounding job protection and placement were included in the deal, as well as benefit contingencies.
“Included is a service recognition bonus, healthcare and pension contributions for a certain amount of time depending on years of service,” Khan said.
The proposed park would encompass nine of the 35 total acres of the Tropicana plot, and Bally’s Corp., which operates the casino, has said it will build a new property on the remaining acreage once the stadium is complete. Gaming and Leisure Properties, owners of the land itself, has also committed to contributing funds towards mutually beneficial developments.
Culinary has positioned itself nicely regardless of how the situation unfolds, having already signed a neutrality agreement with the A’s to allow future stadium workers to unionize and negotiate contracts.
There are still over 20 independent operators at various locations throughout the city that have yet to sign new contracts, and those negotiations are expected to continue in the coming weeks and months.
