Casinos in Las Vegas may face a strike next week of over 35,000 hospitality workers if a deal can’t be reached between the casinos and the unions.
At the end of September, it was reported that Las Vegas hospitality union workers had voted 95% in favor of a potential strike, with the 35,000 room attendants, bartenders and restaurant staff from MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts working on expired contracts since September 15.
The unions have said the strike will go ahead on November 10 if a deal can’t be agreed with the casinos by November 10 at 5am PST, with negotiations currently ongoing since April.
The new contracts that casino workers seek will be over a five-year period and look to include wage increases, reduced workload quotas, protections against workplace violence and guaranteed job security in the face of more technology.
If the strike does go ahead, it will take place only a couple of days before the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix, which was due to bring in a significant amount of money.
The unions have encouraged the public not to visit the resorts and casinos where the staff are planning on striking. Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, gave his thoughts on the situation, “It’s unfortunate but if we’re forced to strike, then the workers are going to withhold their labor and hopefully that sends a powerful message to these companies to do the right thing.”
Just last week, union members were arrested for disrupting traffic in a workers’ rights rally on the Las Vegas Strip.
