Culinary Union seals 5-year deal with Waldorf Astoria days before imminent strike deadline

The Culinary Union has successfully reached a tentative agreement with Waldorf Astoria, resolving a potential labor dispute just days after the union declared a strike against 21 independent resorts in Las Vegas.

In an announcement made on Friday, the union disclosed the finalization of a new 5-year contract with Waldorf Astoria, covering nearly 300 hospitality workers.

BREAKING: The Culinary Union is pleased to announce a Tentative Agreement on a new 5-year contract was just reached w/@WaldorfAstoria Las Vegas for nearly 300 hospitality workers.

Congratulations to Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas workers on winning the BEST CONTRACT EVER! pic.twitter.com/oLOEdvZoyU

— Culinary Union (@Culinary226) January 13, 2024

Last week, 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.

“If an agreement for a new contract is not reached by Friday, February 2, 2024 at 5:00am then negotiations would cease, labor demonstrations will begin outside of casino properties, and strikes would be called,” the union said in an earlier statement.

Negotiations are ongoing with the remaining 20 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, Trump Hotel, Virgin Hotels, Westgate, Binion's Circa, Downtown Grand, El Cortez, Four Queens, Fremont, Golden Gate, Golden Nugget, Main Street, The D, and Plaza. The negotiation period with these resorts is set to continue until January 17.

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largely remain in effect, including wages, benefits, and job security protections, but the no-strike provisions are no longer in effect which allows workers to go on strike anytime.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. 

"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,” Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, said.

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.