as they fight for a fair contract, union leaders said in a press release Friday.
The Culinary Union has been in negotiations with the casinos for weeks and have set a deadline of May 22 to come to an agreement. If the two sides do not reach a resolution, the workers will go on strike.
“We have been bargaining in good faith for more than six weeks, but we are far apart on our proposals and the gaming companies have not moved on their offers,” Geoconda Argüello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer for Culinary Workers Union Local 226, said in the statement.
“We are focused on protecting our members and are unified and powerful in pursuing our demands to keep up with the cost of living and our industry standards.”
The union is calling for better job security, wage increases, workplace safety, and access to job security resources, among other demands. If they go on strike, it would include workers at MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, and Boyd Gaming, the press release states.
“This fight for a fair contract affects more than 50,000 workers, and we know that when we stand together, we can win,” Argüello-Kline said.
The strike would be the third large-scale strike to occur on the Las Vegas Strip in the past two years. In 2018, 50,000 union speech and culinary members went on strike. The action lasted six days and essentially shut down the casinos. In 2019, approximately 25,000 housekeeping, maintenance, and food workers went on strike, lasting for a week as well.
