Hospital Staff in Las Vegas Determine November 10th as Strike Date over Contract Disagreement
Thousands of Culinary Union and Bartenders Union members in Las Vegas are prepared to go on strike if no contract is in place by November 10th.
The unions announced their firm deadline for striking at various hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. Since September, approximately 35,000 workers have been working without a contract. Last month, about 95% of the staff authorised a strike.
The 18 properties at risk of a strike are owned by MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts. The threat of a strike comes just days before the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is expected to bring in around 100,000 visitors. This event takes place from November 16th to 19th, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Culinary Union represents around 60,000 hospitality workers in Nevada, including housekeepers, servers, cooks, bartenders, and other related staff.
Negotiations between the unions and management began in April. However, no agreement has been reached, with unresolved issues such as salary, job security, and workers' safety on the table. The unions are pushing for a five-year contract.
Union Members Share Their Opinions
"Economically, the companies have made some movement, but we are still millions of dollars apart," Ted Pappageorge, Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer, said to Reuters.
"It's time for these companies to sit down and negotiate," Pappageorge told the Review-Journal. "If they're not willing to do that, then we're going to ask customers to take their money and spend elsewhere. We have a large network to communicate with workers across the country, and we will do that."
He added that the union is fully prepared for a strike, with plans to set up picket lines at numerous casinos. The preparations include picket signs, portable bathrooms, tables, chairs, bullhorns, lumber for picket sign sticks, generators, sunscreen, banners, canopies, and water.
"I'm willing to strike because we need to maintain what we believe is important: wages, job security, and safety language, including for upcoming technology," James Tanner, a bartender at Caesars Entertainment's Paris Casino and a union member, said.
In October, 75 Culinary Union members and officials were arrested after they blocked traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard to raise awareness about the ongoing labour dispute with casinos.
Caesars Ensures Generous Offers
On Tuesday, Caesars Entertainment CEO Thomas Reeg revealed during an earnings call that the company is in continuous talks with the union. Meetings behind closed doors were planned for the week.
"When we reach an agreement on the contract, it will be the largest increase that our employees have seen in the past four decades since we started negotiations with the Culinary Union," Reeg added.
Previously, there were citywide strikes in Las Vegas by the Culinary and Bartenders Union in 1984. And there have been more recent strikes as well.
In Detroit, casino workers are currently in their third week of striking, and it impacts three casinos. The strike began on October 17th.
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Source: www.casino.org
