The Culinary and Bartenders Union has announced that its members in the hospitality sector will set up informational picket lines on the Las Vegas Strip this week due to disputes with MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment.
Representing 60,000 hospitality workers in Nevada – 53,000 in Las Vegas – the union is also contemplating a strike following a 95 per cent majority vote by its members to authorise such action. However, a start date for the strike has not been set and negotiations with operators continue.
The disputes with MGM and Caesars stem from the union being unable to agree to a new five-year contract – negotiations regarding which have taken place since April – over improved wages and benefits, expanded safety and technology language and a reduced workload for guest room attendants.
Culinary Secretary-Treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, stated on Monday the two sides are “significantly apart” on salary and benefit issues and union members.
As a result, picket lines will be present on October 12 in front of eight different MGM and Caesars properties, as the union has “proposed language making clear that the no-strike clause does not prevent the union from taking action, including strikes, against non-union restaurants on the casino property, and gives casino workers the right to respect picket lines”.
The Culinary and Bartenders Union has also stated that “contracts covering 43,000 MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts workers are expired” and with the picket line, there is now “an active labour dispute with 18 casino properties across the Las Vegas Strip”.
Casino properties which will have a picket line in front of them later this week include The Linq Hotel (Caesars) expanding to Harrah’s and Flamingo, Paris Casino (Caesars) expanding to Horseshoe and Planet Hollywood, and Park MGM (MGM) expanding to New York–New York.
The picket lines will be present for two hours, beginning at 10am and 5pm respectively at the three locations along the Strip.
The union added that as sidewalks around the above casinos begin to populate, picket lines will be expanded to nearby casinos where labour disputes are also present.
