With the Las Vegas Grand Prix set for this weekend facing a strike from 35,000 workers, Las Vegas’s three largest gaming companies reached labor deals with the Culinary Workers Union last week. The agreements came before workers were expected to walk off the job if a Friday deadline wasn’t met.
The agreements avert a work stoppage with the Formula 1 race expected to attract 100,000 visitors per day. Last week saw Caesars Entertainment reach a deal on Wednesday, MGM on Thursday, and Wynn just hours prior to the Friday deadline. Both union and company officials appeared pleased to have avoided a looming strike.
“We strongly believe that only the most talented and empowered employees, working in an environment in which they feel valued and well compensated, can deliver our signature Wynn and Encore guest experiences,” Wynn casino representative Michael Weaver said. “Therefore, we are very pleased that we were able to reach an agreement.”
Increases in Wages & Benefits
Officially, the agreements are still tentative and must be voted on by all members. A potential strike would have affected 18 properties with affected hospitality workers, including restaurant employees, bartenders, housekeepers, and more.
The unions had been without a contract since September and talks lagged in recent weeks. The casinos have seen record profits since the conclusion of the pandemic, union officials argued, with employees facing growing prices for housing, groceries, and other costs because of rising inflation.
Workers hoped to achieve raises, added job security, and more. Negotiators, who represented an alliance of five unions, hailed the five-year agreements as the best contract the group had ever achieved.
“After seven months of negotiations, we are proud to say that this is the best contract and economic package we have ever won for in our 88-year history,” Culinary Union secretary-treasurer and chief negotiator Ted Pappageorge said. “With this new union contract, hospitality workers will be able to provide for their families and thrive in Las Vegas.”
Exact terms of the agreements aren’t available, but union officials said the Caesars deal added $4.57 an hour in additional pay and benefits for the average union employee. Workers will also receive annual raises over the next five years.
Along with increased wages, workers also receive: continued quality health insurance; union pension and benefits; improvements in housekeeping workloads; improvements in safety concerns; and input on technology impacting workers.
Detroit Strike Continues: Unions Urge Online Operator Boycott
About 3,700 workers in Detroit also continue hitting picket lines as the city sees the industry’s first casino strike. A coalition of unions voted in October to walk off the job and have been on strike since Oct. 17, picketing the city’s three casinos: MGM Grand Detroit, Hollywood Casino at Greektown, and MotorCity.
The unions recently encouraged Detroit Lions fans not to cross picket lines to gamble at the properties, which have remained open, or to place sports bets at the casinos. Those efforts expanded to some of Michigan’s online casino as well on Friday.
The Detroit Casino Council (DCC) represents five unions including: Unite Here Local 24, the United Auto Workers, Teamster Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 32, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. The group planned to launch a digital ad campaign on Monday urging players not to wager on several online casino apps until during the strike, including some of the largest operators in the industry.
“Online sports betting and online casino platforms like FanDuel, ESPN Bet, and BetMGM are critical sources of revenue for the companies that operate Detroit’s three casinos,” Nia Winston, president of UNITE HERE Local 24, said in a written statement. “Workers have been outside the physical locations 24/7 since going out on strike three weeks ago to win a fair contract. Now, they’re calling on the public not to cross their virtual picket line either and to boycott these apps until the strike is settled.”
The union contracts expired in September and workers chose a strike as negotiations reached an impasse. The work stoppage affects employees in food and beverage, housekeeping, retail outlets, slot and table games, and engineering. Union leadership is now hoping the online efforts put more pressure on casino management with a boycott of Android casino apps and iPhone apps for gaming.
“We need people to not cross our picket lines,” Lisa Cuthrell, a cook at Hollywood Casino, told WXYZ. “We need people to stand strong with us.”
Union representatives are hoping for wage increases, strengthening retirement, and securing protection for workers impacted by the use of new technology. Union officials have said workers made sacrifices during the pandemic lockdown and now are seeking to secure a better contract as the companies have recovered and seen major financial gains over the last year.
With the Las Vegas strike averted, those in the industry will be watching to see if Detroit workers are able to reach an agreement in the coming days.
