With labor market tight, strike could paralyze Las Vegas Strip casino companies
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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Time is running out as the union representing tens of thousands of Strip resort workers continues to warn of a possible strike in the coming weeks.
Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, told Channel 13 on Monday that his and the organization's patience is running thin.
"Really, we're incredibly disappointed," Pappageorge said. "There's been no movement whatsoever on economics."
The previous labor deal between the union and what it calls the "Big Three" Strip casino-resort companies — MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts — expired in May.
Union members have been working without a contract ever since. With big events coming up soon on the Las Vegas events calendar, a strike could pose big problems for an industry already struggling to find employees.
MGM, which employs about 22,000 Culinary Union members on the Strip, according to the company's 2022 annual report, hosted an informational session for job-seekers Monday at the Sahara West Library in Las Vegas.
Marchele Sneed of Employ NV, the state agency that helped put the event on, said there is plenty of opportunity at MGM properties in Las Vegas.
"They have hundreds of openings to fill," she said. "They're looking for individuals with any type of skill set."
Last week, union members picketed at over a half-dozen Strip resort properties. A few weeks ago, union members voted to give the organization's leadership the green light to call for a strike.
With the Las Vegas Grand Prix Formula One race — slated to be one of the biggest sporting events ever in Las Vegas — coming up next month, Pappageorge says there should be plenty of incentive for resort companies to want to get a labor deal done.
He stopped short of setting a hard deadline for a strike but indicated that the union's leadership wants a deal done deal soon.
"Formula One is coming soon," Pappageorge said. "We're hoping to get this contract settled before that, but these companies need to understand that these events don't happen without the workers."
