Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union Votes to Strike

In a move that some onlookers are predicting could hobble the bustling city of Las Vegas, the Culinary Workers Union has voted to authorize a citywide strike for 50,000 members come June.

A walkout was approved by 99 percent of the 25,000 members who voted on the issue Tuesday.

The strike would take place if the union’s demands are not met, according to a statement issued by the union.

The contracts at the heart of the dispute are set to expire on June 1 at 34 casino resorts along the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas, including at properties operated by MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Penn National, Golden Entertainment, Boyd Gaming and other companies.

Among the hospitality employees who would strike are bartenders, guest room attendants, cocktail servers, food servers, porters, bellman, cooks, and kitchen workers.

“A strike is a last resort. We want to come to an agreement, but the union and workers are preparing for a citywide strike if contracts are not settled by June 1,” Geoconda Argüello-Kline, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, said in a statement.

The Culinary and Bartenders Unions are seeking to negotiate new contract language that provides a greater measure of security for members including surrounding such issues as workplace safety, sexual harassment, subcontracting, technology, and immigration.

In addition, the union’s economic proposal seeks to provide workers a fair share of the employers’ enormous anticipated cash flows and Trump tax windfalls.

“I don’t want to go on strike, but I will,” Adela Montes de Oca, a guest room attendant at the Aria, an MGM Resorts International property, said in a statement. “The company is more profitable than ever because of the hard work we do, and I’m going to keep fighting to make sure that we have a fair share of that success.”

The last such strike was in 1984 when thousands of Culinary Union members across the Las Vegas Strip walked off the job for 67 days, which reportedly crippled in the Las Vegas hospitality industry until contracts were settled. Union members lost some $75 million in wages and benefits, while Las Vegas lost a significant amount of money as well, according to NPR.

The union is encouraging Nevada locals, elected officials, political candidates, and tourists to support workers by opting not to patronize hotels and casinos involved in the dispute if there is a strike.

MGM Resorts International told NPR that it has scheduled talks with the union this week and next.

Resort officials added that they’re confident the issues can be resolved and the parties “will come to an agreement that works for all sides.”

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