Current:Home > FinanceThousands of Las Vegas Strip hotel workers at 18 casinos could go on strike this month -×
Thousands of Las Vegas Strip hotel workers at 18 casinos could go on strike this month
View
Date:2025-04-16 23:23:55
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tens of thousands of Las Vegas hotel workers fighting for new union contracts set a strike deadline Thursday, threatening major disruptions at more than a dozen resorts that could coincide with the Strip’s inaugural Formula 1 races later this month.
The Culinary Workers Union said about 35,000 members whose contracts expired earlier this year could walk off the job if deals aren’t reached by Nov. 10 with casino giants MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts.
Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend is scheduled to begin Nov. 15 with an opening ceremony and is expected to bring thousands of people to the Strip.
Nevada’s largest labor union, with about 60,000 members statewide, hasn’t gone on strike in decades.
A walkout would be the latest in a series of high-profile labor unrest actions around the country — from walkouts in Hollywood to UPS’ contentious negotiations that threatened to disrupt the nation’s supply chain — and would follow hospitality workers walking off the job last month at Detroit’s three casinos, including MGM Grand Detroit.
In Las Vegas, the 18 properties that could be affected by a strike are Aria, Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Park MGM, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood, The Cromwell, The Linq, and Wynn and Encore Resorts.
A spokesperson for Wynn Resorts declined to comment. Caesars and MGM Resorts did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
The union’s deadline comes after yet another unsuccessful round of negotiations with the three casino companies that own and operate some of the most recognizable hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, including the Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, MGM Grand, Luxor and Caesars Palace.
Negotiations have been underway since April over topics such as pay and working conditions.
Members currently receive health insurance and earn about $26 hourly, including benefits, union spokesperson Bethany Khan said. She declined to say how much the union is seeking in pay raises because, she said, “we do not negotiate in public,” but the union has said it is asking for “the largest wage increases ever negotiated” in its history.
Hotel workers — from bartenders and cocktail servers to kitchen employees and housekeepers — have also said they want better job security amid advancements in technology, as well as stronger security protections, including more safety buttons.
“We don’t feel safe on the casino floor,” veteran Bellagio cocktail waitress Leslie Lilla told The Associated Press. “We need enhanced security. We need emergency buttons in our service bars. We want to be protected, as well as for our guests.”
The union said it had been patient with the casino companies amid months of negotiations that spurred large-scale rallies on the Strip, including one in October that brought rush-hour traffic to a halt and led to the arrests of 58 hotel workers who sat in the street in what they described at the time as a show of force ahead of any potential strike.
“This is our time. This is the labor movement’s time,” Lilla said. “We know that we can’t be a society where it’s just upper class and lower class. There’s got to be a middle. Unions create that middle class.”
veryGood! (57972)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- RHONJ Preview: See Dolores Catania's Boyfriend Paul Connell Drop an Engagement Bombshell
- Environmental Group Alleges Scientific Fraud in Disputed Methane Studies
- NOAA’s Acting Chief Floated New Mission, Ignoring Climate Change
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Control of Congress matters. But which party now runs your state might matter more
- Today’s Climate: August 10, 2010
- Food insecurity is driving women in Africa into sex work, increasing HIV risk
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Treat Mom to Kate Spade Bags, Jewelry & More With These Can't-Miss Mother's Day Deals
Ranking
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Unusually Hot Spring Threw Plants, Pollinators Out of Sync in Europe
- Food insecurity is driving women in Africa into sex work, increasing HIV risk
- Arctic Methane Leaks Go Undetected Because Equipment Can’t Handle the Cold
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Regulators Pin Uncontrolled Oil Sands Leaks on Company’s Extraction Methods, Geohazards
- Teen Activists Worldwide Prepare to Strike for Climate, Led by Greta Thunberg
- Shaquil Barrett's Wife Jordanna Gets Tattoo Honoring Late Daughter After Her Tragic Drowning Death
Recommendation
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
Behati Prinsloo Shares Adorable New Photo of Her and Adam Levine’s Baby in Family Album
CVS and Walgreens announce opioid settlements totaling $10 billion
Only Kim Kardashian Could Make Wearing a Graphic Tee and Mom Jeans Look Glam
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $250 Crossbody Bag for Just $59
Meeting abortion patients where they are: providers turn to mobile units
Americans with disabilities need an updated long-term care plan, say advocates