Current:Home > ScamsLas Vegas union hotel workers ratify Caesars contract -Keystone Capital Education
Las Vegas union hotel workers ratify Caesars contract
View
Date:2025-04-16 14:32:38
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas hotel union workers voted overwhelmingly Monday to approve their contract agreement with casino giant Caesars Entertainment, signaling an end to lengthy labor disputes that had brought the threat of a historic strike to the Strip.
The Culinary Workers Union announced on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that 99% of the vote favored the new five-year deal.
“BEST CONTRACT EVER! Congratulations to 10,000 hospitality workers!,” the post said.
The union is expected to also approve its proposed contracts with Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International, the Strip’s largest employer, later this week.
The breakthrough deals were tentatively reached earlier this month, just hours before the union had threatened a massive walkout at 18 hotel-casinos on the Strip, including Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, MGM Grand and Caesars Palace.
In a statement, Ted Pappageorge, the union’s chief negotiator, said the workers had been willing to take a cut in pay if the union had gone on strike. He said they sacrificed their free time over seven months of negotiations to help secure historic pay raises and other major wins, including housekeeping workload reductions and improved job security amid advancements in technology.
“Nothing was promised or guaranteed, and thousands of workers who participated in rallies, protests, civil disobedience, picketing, surveys, picket sign making, strike vote, and delegations inside the properties sacrificed to win a better future for themselves and our families,” said Pappageorge, himself a former union hospitality worker who went on strike in 1991 with 500 other employees at the now-shuttered New Frontier Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas.
It became one of the longest strikes in U.S. history, stretching more than six years. The union said all the strikers returned to their jobs afterward with back pay and benefits.
Now, Pappageorge said the union has won a 32% pay increase for its members over five years, with workers receiving a 10% bump in pay during the first year of their new contract. He said that totals about $2 billion from the casino companies by the end of the contract.
The contracts cover more than 35,000 employees at properties along the Strip that are owned or operated by Caesars, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts.
By the end of the contract, Pappageorge said, union workers will be earning on average $35 hourly, including benefits. Union workers currently make about $26 hourly with benefits.
Pappageorge thanked the casino companies in his statement “for doing the right thing and investing in the frontline workers who make the entire industry run successfully.”
In separate statements released when the deals were reached, the companies said the contracts recognize the union workers for their contributions to the companies’ success, with historic pay raises and opportunities for growth tied to plans to bring more union jobs to the Strip.
A strike by employees of all three companies would have been historic, both for its size and timing.
The union — the largest in Nevada with about 60,000 members statewide — had threatened to go on strike less than a week before Formula 1 was set to debut its new race course on the Strip.
Experts said the impacts of tens of thousands of workers walking off the job would have been immediate: Reduced room cleanings. Dirty, unpolished floors. Neglected landscaping. Slow service at restaurants and bars. Long waits at valet. Limited room availability.
The Culinary Union’s threat to strike added to a big year for labor unions, including walkouts in Hollywood that ground the film and television industries to a historic halt, UPS’ contentious negotiations that threatened to disrupt the nation’s supply chain, and the ongoing hotel workers strike at Detroit’s three casinos, including MGM Grand Detroit.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Klaus Mäkelä, just 28, to become Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director in 2027
- Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's Kids Harlow and Sparrow Make Red Carpet Debut
- California Leads the Nation in Emissions of a Climate Super-Pollutant, Study Finds
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Sabrina Carpenter Channels 90s Glamour for Kim Kardashian's Latest SKIMS Launch
- Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Oprah and More Celebs Who’ve Reached the Billionaire Milestone
- Voters reject Jackson County stadium measure for Kansas City Chiefs, Royals
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Ka-ching! Taylor Swift lands on Forbes' World's Billionaires list with $1.1B net worth
Ranking
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Why Euphoria's Hunter Schafer Isn’t Ready to Date After Dominic Fike Break Up
- Anya Taylor-Joy reveals she 'married my best friend' 2 years ago, shares wedding pics
- Biden campaign releases ad attacking Trump over abortion
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Sabrina Carpenter Channels 90s Glamour for Kim Kardashian's Latest SKIMS Launch
- Lionel Messi returns to Inter Miami practice. Will he play vs. Monterrey in Champions Cup?
- Trump sues two Trump Media co-founders, seeking to void their stock in the company
Recommendation
Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
7 World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by Israeli airstrike in Gaza
North Carolina redistricting attorney who fell short in federal confirmation fight dies at 69
LeBron James' second children's book, I Am More Than, publishes Tuesday
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
SUV rams into front gate at FBI Atlanta headquarters, suspect in custody
Watch Cher perform 'Believe' with Jennifer Hudson at the iHeartRadio Music Awards
Bob Uecker begins 54th season broadcasting Brewers games after turning 90 earlier this year