Las Vegas Possibly Facing Casino Workers’ Strike
With several major events in the works in the coming weeks, Las Vegas could see quite a shakeup if a large portion of Las Vegas casino workers go on strike. That could be in the cards as negotiations continue to drag on between the city’s culinary workers and the city’s three largest casino companies.
Despite recent reports that negotiations have produced “some movement,” talks on wages and health care, job safety and job training, technology and other issues have yet to reach a deal. This could lead to workers walking off the job if a new contract isn’t reached.
“I think we’ve been able to make some movement, but if we were having to make the decision today, it wouldn’t be enough,” secretary-treasurer and chief negotiator for Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Ted Pappageorge said on Monday. “And I think these workers would authorize a strike.”
Issues Remain Before a Deal is Reached
Despite some recent progress, the two sides don’t seem to be agreeing on workload reduction and the reinstatement of daily room cleaning. Union negotiators have been meeting with representatives from MGM Resorts, the company behind BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts since April.
The Culinary Union represents about 40,000 hospitality workers and the group’s leadership is hoping to hammer out a new five-year contract. A potential strike could have a massive effect on the Las Vegas city’s casino industry.
Union members voted in September to authorize a strike if a deal couldn’t be reached, but have stayed on the job as contract talks continued. Pappageorge says workers don’t want to strike, but are inching in that direction if an agreement isn’t reached soon. He said workers should share in some of the recent windfalls the gaming industry has seen.
“When these companies are making incredible profits — record profits — workers deserve record contracts,” Pappageorge said on Monday. “Cost of rent, the cost of groceries and gas, electricity — all are increasing. These companies must be prepared to share the wealth.”
Along with the labor issues, union members have expressed some issues about working during the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix Formula 1 race. Leadership is concerned with workers’ transportation needs during the race and is seeking an additional two hours in pay for employees.
“Caesars Entertainment and Wynn resorts are especially affected,” Pappageorge said. “Most of the Caesars properties other than Caesars Palace are within what would be the ‘hot zone’ when the races are happening. And Wynn Resorts, the parking actually empties right into the racetrack. So, there’s some real significant issues, and we’ve asked companies for some clarity and we’re hoping to hear some of these mobility plans here this week.”
Detroit Casino Workers Continue Strike
The American casino industry has already seen one strike underway, with employees in Detroit now in the third week of a work stoppage. The Teamsters and a coalition of unions voted in October to walk off the job and have continued picketing the city’s three casinos: MGM Grand Detroit, Hollywood Casino at Greektown, and MotorCity.
The coalition represents about 3,5000 workers at the properties who work in food and beverage, housekeeping, retail outlets, slot and table games, and engineering. The union’s contract with the properties expired in September and negotiators have been unable to reach a deal with the casinos.
This is the city’s first casino strike since the gambling houses opened in the 1990s. The union is seeking higher wages, better health insurance, improved retirement benefits, and workload reductions. Job security has also become a concern for workers as online gaming grows in the Wolverine State.
The union coalition argues that workers sacrificed during the pandemic and helped the industry recover by forgoing raises and taking on heavier workloads. They’re now hoping to see casinos reward loyal employees as revenue is up for the industry, according to union officials.
“Since the pandemic … we have lost 1,500 jobs,” Hollywood Casino employee Millege McCaster told WNDU. “You are now going in sometimes, where you are doing two or three jobs. That’s a lot to put on one person.
“The team members at all three casinos deserve a good fair contract that, you know, shows that they do respect their employees.”
Industry estimates put the three casinos’ percentage of unionized workers at about 75% of staff. However, all three casinos have remained open to some degree, although some aspects of the properties have been closed or reduced. Union officials even recently asked Detroit Lions fans to avoid gambling on games and not to cross picket Lions to wager.
Casino officials have said they continue to work toward reaching a fair deal with the union coalition. MGM Midwest Group COO Matt Buckley recently said the company made six proposals to the union, including the casino’s “largest pay increase” in its history.
