Culinary Union secures deals with The Strat and Hilton Grand Vacations amid ongoing talks with 16 other operators

Workers represented by the Culinary Local 226 union have successfully secured tentative labor agreements with The Strat and Hilton Grand Vacations, as disclosed in an announcement from the union on Wednesday.

Approximately 700 employees at The Strat secured a five-year deal with enhancements in wages, work quotas, protections from technology, and more, Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The tentative agreement was reached on Tuesday night, and Golden Entertainment, the operator of the 2,400-room resort, expressed satisfaction with the outcome.

“We are pleased to provide our team members with wage increases that reflect their contribution to our past success and importance to our future,” Charles Portell, Golden Entertainment’s President and Chief Financial Officer, said in a statement.

On Wednesday afternoon, 500 workers at Hilton Grand Vacations also reached a deal with their employer, marking another positive development for the union.

Negotiations are still in progress with 16 remaining independent operators in both the Strip and Downtown areas. On Saturday, over 1,000 Culinary employees at Westgate agreed to a tentative five-year contract, while workers at Trump International reached a deal on January 18.

Culinary Union also recently reached tentative agreements with Waldorf Astoria, The Mirage, and Trump Hotel.



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. Ongoing negotiations involve all downtown operators and six independent operators on or near the Strip.

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.

Union negotiators have consistently communicated their intention to seek similar benefits and protections from other operators.

In a related move, the union plans to conduct an "informational picket" in front of three downtown Las Vegas properties, namely Circa, Golden Gate, and Fremont hotel-casinos, on Friday.

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 the union leadership, 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.