Summary:
- Employees want better health care and wages.
- Workload reduction and daily room cleaning are also on the table.
- The talks have progressed but not reached the level employees would like to see.
A strike is still imminent in Las Vegas as the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and casino operators have yet to secure a deal. A lead negotiator for the union is reporting that there has been some movement in negotiations, but contract talks are not where they need to be.
Moving Forward
The Union has seen some movement from casinos regarding talks consisting of information on wages and health care. Casinos are open to that and job safety and training, among other issues. However, there are still some topics that the casinos are not budging on.
This includes workload reduction and daily room cleaning reinstatement. The resorts are not where they need to be, according to negotiator Ted Pappageorge. The representative says that there is not enough movement, and if the decision were made today, it would not be enough to move forward, and the employees would authorize a strike.
Is a Strike Deadline Coming Soon?
Each casino involved in the union issue has been in discussions since April, and no resolution has been found. A new five-year contract is needed for around 40,000 unionized hospitality employees. If a strike were to take place due to stalled negotiations, it would affect the industry in a huge way.
Pappageorge pointed out that when the casinos hit record profits, the employees deserve a record contract. The cost of rent, groceries, gas, and electricity are all going up. The companies need to be prepared to share their wealth.
The union members reportedly do not want to strike but will do so if they must. Preparations have already begun for picket stations, with signs, storage, and portable restrooms going up at over 12 properties on the Strip.
The update by Pappageorge comes just days after he and others were arrested after staging a sit-in on the Las Vegas Strip. Individuals sat in the roadway during a rally outside the Bellagio and Paris Las Vegas. Several individuals were arrested for civil disobedience as they tried to shed light on the matter.
The events by the employees helped send the resorts a message that the union was losing its patience in the negotiations. A strike deadline seems to be the push the casinos need to move forward with a new contract.
Will the union have to set a deadline to see the casinos act? Or will that not be enough, and the employees will have to go on strike to see any movement with a new contract?
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