Caesars and MGM Reach Deal in Vegas Strike

Date: June 2018

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Name: All of the hotels!

What: UNITE HERE’s Culinary and Bartenders Unions have reached tentative agreements with MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment in a bid to avert a strike impacting casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

Roughly 15 Las Vegas properties, however, remain in the midst of negotiations.

According to the latest statements from the union, tentative agreements are now in place with both Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International.

The union signed a new five-year contract with MGM that covers approximately 24,000 workers at 10 casino resorts.

The union has also reached a five-year deal with Caesars covering 12,000 employees in Las Vegas.

There are some 15 Vegas properties the union has reported it is still in negotiations with, such as Four Seasons Las Vegas, Golden Nugget and Golden Gate Hotel and Casino.

The union’s contract with these properties, as well as those owned by MGM and Caesars, expired June 1. On May 22 the union had voted to authorise a strike after the expiration of their contracts as negotiations over issues including compensation, technology and sexual harassment continued.

UNITE HERE said that its last major strike, which took place in Atlantic City in 2004, lasted 34 days. The last major strike of this kind in Las Vegas took place in 2002, when 25,000 workers went on strike. Another citywide strike in 1984 lasted for 67 days.

The Culinary Union has set up a website to keep track of the travel impacts of the labour disputes.

THPT Comment: Just goes to show there are some fundamentals that hotels cannot ignore – Staff, guests, weather, civil unrest and the economy.

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