Culinary Union eyes finish line for Las Vegas casino worker labor deals
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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Some Las Vegas casinos still face the threat of possible worker strikes, even though the biggest three casino companies locked in new labor deals last month.
This week, the Culinary Union — the body that represents close to 50,000 workers on the Las Vegas Strip — announced labor deals for workers at the Mirage and the Tropicana, which combined have close to 2,000 union employees. The deals come a few weeks after the union agreed to lucrative new labor agreements with Strip juggernauts, MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts.
However, close to two-dozen casinos — most in Las Vegas — have yet to agree to terms. That list includes Circus Circus, The STRAT, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Sahara Las Vegas, and Treasure Island. It also includes most downtown Las Vegas casinos.
During an interview with Channel 13 on Friday, Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said strike deadlines for the remaining casinos could come next month.
"It still leaves close to 10,000 thousand workers when you look at the [casinos] that are left," Pappageorge said. "We will have strike deadlines in January if we can't get these contracts settled."
Bally's Corporation, which owns the Tropicana, has plans to demolish the property to make way for a planned new ballpark for Major League Baseball's Oakland A's while Hard Rock, which owns the Mirage, wants to raze that property to clear room for a new guitar-shaped resort on the Strip. Pappageorge said those plans weren't lost on union leaders.
"Those properties have massive redevelopment plans, so we prioritized those properties," Pappageorge said.
A deal was also reached in recent days with the operator of the Four Seasons, something that has Nyesha Spencer, a guest room attendant at the Four Season, happy.
"We put in a lot of hard work for these companies," she said. "I'm glad they're starting to recognize it and acknowledge that we are a part of their team.....a part of the business."
As it stands, Culinary Union officials say about 7,700 Las Vegas resort workers remain without new labor deals.
