MGM Resorts and Caesars may have settled their culinary union contracts in advance of the F1 race in November, but a group of smaller casinos in Las Vegas could be dealing with a labor strike during the Super Bowl in February.
A total of 21 casinos are involved in negotiations with Culinary Workers Local 226 on a new contract. The union has said if they can’t reach a new deal by Feb. 2, they will strike. The strike would impact nearly 8,000 casino workers.
The timing would potentially leave operators like Circa Casino, Sahara, Westgate and Treasure Island potentially without workers a week before the Super Bowl takes place in Vegas.
“We’ve been working hard since last year to win historic contracts with Big 3 and several independent casinos, but we aren’t done yet. It’s time for 7,700 workers employed at 21 properties to get a fair contract and have security for themselves and their families. Corporations are making record profits and workers deserve to have record contracts,” said union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge. “Workers at the Strip Independents and Downtown deserve the same wage increases, benefit protections, safety and technology language, and reductions in workloads as the rest of the Strip and they are organized and ready to fight for it. No one wants to strike, but workers are serious and will strike if they have to and the Culinary Union has their back every step of the way.”
The timing of a huge event for the city worked in the union’s favor in obtaining new contracts with the big casino conglomerates. The hope is the threat of hurting Super Bowl bottom lines will spur on a similar result this time around. Negotiations between the operators and the union got underway this week.
