Nevada Culinary Union Fights for Better Working Conditions

The Las Vegas hospitality workers weren’t satisfied with the working conditions, which led to fighting for union contracts. If the strike begins, many casinos and hotels will be affected, as well as the whole city’s economy.

Workers of biggest casinos united:

The Union members mostly supported the strike since 95% of them voted in favor of authorizing it.

The main goal of the Union is to get better salaries, as well as benefits and improved working conditions in prestigious Las Vegas Strip casinos, such as MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts’ casinos. The workers from other casinos, including Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Harrah’s, Circus Circus, Treasure Island, and the Strat, also mostly support the strike.

This is the first strike the Culinary Workers Union organized in three decades, which suggests how serious the situation is. 

Since the need for workers increased all over the country, especially after the pandemic was over, workers from various industries decided that it was time to fight for better working conditions and job security.

The Culinary Union in Nevada contains about 60.000 hospitality workers, and it makes this Union the largest labor force in the state. However, 40.000 of these workers’ contracts expired.

The Union’s expectations:

Deanna Virgil, who is employed at Wynn Las Vegas, commented: “We are the glue that keeps these hotels together, and we should be paid what we deserve.” 

While Virgil says that many of the workers are forced to do two jobs to survive, Bethany Khan, the Union’s spokesperson, says that the union members have health insurance and that their hourly rate is about $26 with included benefits at the moment. She didn’t want to comment on the amount the Union wanted, but it is sure that it’s “the largest wage increase ever negotiated.”

The negotiations between casinos and the Union will take place next week. According to the Associated Press, MGM is positive that the negotiations will be successful, as history proves.

In 2018, the strike was authorized, and all workers got their 5-year contracts. 

One of the members, Rory Kuykendall, hopes for the same results as the last time. He said: “It’s great to see all the huge numbers in turnout. It’s a chance for all the members to come out and show that we’re really ready to fight.”

As KTNV Las Vegas reports, Atlantic City prevented the strike by giving their employees a huge raise in the summer of 2022. The casino industry took this step because of the importance of having satisfied workers in order to establish pre-pandemic business levels as soon as possible.