Two of the most influential workers’ unions in Nevada, Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165, have been in negotiations for a new labor contract with several of the state’s top casino operators—including Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment—since April, but no deal has yet been reached.
However, in a statement released September 7, leadership from both unions announced that a strike vote date has been set for September 26 if progress continues to lag on a new five-year deal.
The two organizations represent some 53,000 Las Vegas workers between the Strip and downtown, and the big three operators account for approximately 38,000 of that workforce. This includes non-gaming employees such as food service workers, bartenders, porters, bellmen, guest room attendants and more.
In the statement, Culinary Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge called the lack of progress “disappointing,” and lamented the fact that “(the unions) are still so far apart from the casinos after months of negotiations.”
“Companies are generating record profits and we demand that workers aren’t left behind and have a fair share of that success,” Pappageorge continued.
The September 26 strike vote, should it occur, would take place at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV. In the event that a majority do vote to strike, the negotiating committees from the respective unions would then have the authority to call for a walkout.
With that in mind, Culinary has said previously that a strike deadline has not been set and the goal is to come to an agreement before one is enacted.
The last major citywide strike was all the way back in 1984, when 17,000 union employees walked out over labor disputes with a total of 32 Strip properties. That strike, which lasted nine months, led to six properties severing ties with Culinary altogether.
Citywide strikes have been authorized a few times in the past, but most were avoided with new deals before an actual strike could unfold. This happened in 2018 and 2014.
“As companies reduce labor, there are less workers who have even more responsibilities and are doing more work instead of spending quality time with their families, and that has to change,” Pappageorge said in the recent statement. “Workers have built this industry and made it successful and that’s why we are demanding that workers share in that prosperity.”
The existing contracts between the unions and operators expired at the end of May, but temporary extensions were agreed to, and any new contracts will include retroactive wage increases, per union officials.
Negotiations include a number of potential workers’ benefits, including record wage increases, workload reduction, job protections and more.
