Culinary Union workers rally on Las Vegas Strip, demand new contracts amid ongoing negotiations

Workers affiliated with the Culinary Union staged demonstrations on the Las Vegas Strip on Friday as 7,000 employees continue to fight for new five-year contracts. This development is part of the union's ongoing negotiations with the remaining 19 properties on the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas.

Energetic chants resonated in front of Sahara Las Vegas and The Strat, with workers displaying signs and advocating for change, 8 News Now reported. “We want our contract. Every day we are tired, we are getting overloaded with work,” Brenda Alvarez, an employee at Sahara Las Vegas, was quoted as saying in the report.

Early this month, union members employed by independent operators on the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas casinos had indicated their intention to commence a strike at 5 a.m. on Feb. 2 if tentative agreements were not reached with their employers beforehand. The looming deadline falls just before the scheduled Super Bowl in Las Vegas, slated to take place at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11.

Subsequently, the Culinary Union successfully reached tentative agreements with Waldorf Astoria, The Mirage, and Trump Hotel.

Negotiations are ongoing with the remaining independent resorts on the Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. These establishments include Circus Circus, Hilton Grand Vacations, Rio, Sahara Las Vegas, The STRAT, Treasure Island, Virgin Hotels, Westgate, Binion's Circa, Downtown Grand, El Cortez, Four Queens, Fremont, Golden Gate, Golden Nugget, Main Street, The D, and Plaza.

Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Tedd Pappageorge told to 8 News Now that the current negotiations echo previous ones, emphasizing demands for higher pay, improved workplace safety, and protection against advanced technology at various properties.

“Visitation is up, room rates are through the roof, they are doing very well. But they forget they can’t do it without the workers,” Pappageorge said of Las Vegas properties, as per the report.

The workers vowed to persist in their efforts, marching on and fighting for new contracts. “If we don’t have a contract, we don’t have a future. We don’t have our families set up,” Vecsve Bodoca, who works at Sahara Las Vegas, told 8 News Now.

Union leaders confirmed to the news outlet that they plan to conduct several more pickets in the upcoming weeks.

As per the unions, contracts for remaining unsettled properties expired June 1, 2023 and all contract extensions have been terminated. Terms and conditions of an expired collective bargaining agreement largely remain in effect, including wages, benefits, and job security protections, but the no-strike provisions are no longer in effect which allows workers to go on strike anytime.

The Culinary Workers are advocating for a 32% wage increase over five years, mirroring the agreement reached with major Strip resorts. Their demands also include a reduction in housekeeping quotas, mandated daily room cleaning, and enhanced protections against job-replacing technology. 

In November, members ratified deals with MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts after threatening to strike several days before the Formula One race, putting pressure on operators to finalize the contract agreement.

Culinary officials have called the new contracts historic for their significant wage increases, guaranteed lowered workloads, technology protections, and career support. Each full-time, non-tipped employee at those companies will get roughly $3-an-hour raise in the first year, and tipped workers will get a raise of roughly $1.50 hourly, leaders previously said.

According to Pappageorge, the terms include a 10% wage increase in the first year and a cumulative 32% raise throughout the contract's duration, resulting in an average wage of $37 per hour. The total compensation for employees across the three companies is projected to reach $2 billion over the next five years.