Las Vegas Culinary Union sets February strike deadline

The strike, which will involve almost 7,700 workers, has set its deadline for 2 February at 5am PT, one week before the Super Bowl.

US.- If they cannot agree to a new contract, thousands of casino resort workers in Las Vegas plan to go on strike in February, just a week before the Super Bowl.

The Culinary and Bartenders Unions -Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165-are representing 7,700 casino workers in Downtown Las Vegas and along the Vegas Strip in these negotiations, setting a strike deadline of February 2 at 5am Pacific time for a new deal to be agreed upon.

“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 a statement.

The strike comes following previous action taken late last year, where union members threatened to strike if wages were not increased and workplace protections were not installed. While the union reached deals with operators including MGM, Caesars and Wynn, this new potential strike relates to other properties in Vegas.

Strip properties include Rio, Circus Circus, and Trump Hotel Las Vegas, while Downtown properties include Circa, Four Queens, and Golden Nugget. For many of these 21 properties, such a strike would mark a ‘historic first’ for the Union, as these properties have never been subject to such a strike.

See also: Nevada gaming revenue reaches $1.37bn in November

On the strike, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union Ted Pappageorge said: “We’ve been working hard since last year to win historic contracts with the Big 3 and several independent casinos, but we aren’t done yet.  

“It’s time for 7,700 workers employed at 21 properties to get a fair contract and have security for themselves and their families. Corporations are making record profits and workers deserve to have record contracts.”