Casino workers could green-flag a strike less than a week before the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas. Despite some recent moves in negotiations, 35,000 Las Vegas hospitality workers are scheduled to stop working on November 10 if a new agreement is not reached with some of the industry’s largest gaming companies.
Culinary Union officials have been negotiating with Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, Wynn Resorts for seven months, and members authorized a strike in September. This now appears on the horizon as talks continue.
“Economically, businesses have made some movement but we are millions of dollars away,” Culinary Union Treasurer Ted Papageorge said this week.
Major repercussions
Union members seek increased wages and health care, increased job safety and job training, and job security. The union’s contract expired in September, and this week was the first time a strike date had been set.
The timing could create some major issues for casinos at a critical time. The union represents a wide range of employees including housekeepers, caterers, porters, bellboys, cooks, bartenders, laundry workers, and kitchen staff.
The Formula 1 race is expected to attract 100,000 visitors a day for the celebrations, and casinos have ramped up promotions, hotel deals and gaming opportunities in preparation for the event. A strike could significantly change those plans.
Employees are set to leave their jobs at 18 casinos, including some of the largest properties on the Strip. As the race approached, unions also asked visitors to Las Vegas not to cross the picket lines.
It’s still very far
Union representatives said the industry saw record profits and management should share some of that revenue with workers. Papageorge said the companies were not negotiating in good faith and he hopes the looming strike deadline will change their approach.
“Ultimately, we’ve come to this — we’re in our seventh month — and it’s time for these companies to sit down and negotiate,” he said. “If they are not willing to do that, we will ask customers to take their money and spend it somewhere else. We have a huge network and ability to connect with workers across the country and we will do that.”
This could be the largest hospitality worker strike in U.S. history and Las Vegas employees plan to picket at 45 locations around the city. Papageorge says workers don’t want to strike, but they may have no other choice.
The companies have not yet commented on the deadline. However, Caesar CEO Thomas Rigg hinted that at least some progress had been made on wages.
“When we reach agreement on the contract, this will be the largest increase our employees have seen in the four decades since we began interacting with the Culinary Union.”
