Hospitality workers at The Venetian and Palazzo in Las Vegas broke out in celebration Tuesday after word came they had achieved their first-ever union contract.
Members of the Culinary Union applauded and cheered Tuesday morning with the announcement of the tentative agreement, which covers more than 4,000 hospitality workers. Union members will soon hold a ratification vote on the proposed contract.
Details on the agreement have yet to be released.
On Tuesday, Maureen Kimbro, a Culinary Union member and housekeeper at the Venetian/Palazzo, said in a video interview released by the union, “I am so ecstatic.”
I am very excited,” she added. “How things change if we actually voice our concerns and have a group of people that back us up. It makes a lot of difference.”
Kimbro has worked at the hotel for almost eight years.
“We made it happen guys,” she added. “We got it. First-time contract for Venetian.”
Last One On the Strip
“We’re the last one on the Strip and we made it happen,” Kimbro said.
Over the past several months, Culinary Union negotiations have led to many contracts at independent properties and those properties owned by large companies.
In November, Culinary Union members successfully negotiated with Wynn Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and MGM Resorts International, averting a threatened strike.
Prior Increases
Workers at these properties were given a 10% wage increase in the first year of the agreements. They also got 32% in raises over the life of the deals. There were other gains for union members, too.
When announcing last year’s new contracts, Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said “the average Culinary Union member earns about $28 an hour (including their benefits) under the previous contract, and by the end of this new five-year contract, the average Culinary Union member will be earning about $37 an hour (including their benefits).”
It’s not immediately clear if the workers at The Venetian/Palazzo achieved similar salary increases.
Casino.org reached out to The Venetian and The Palazzo for comment but no immediate statement was released.
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 are Nevada affiliates of the national Unite Here union and represent 60K workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. Members include bartenders, bellmen, cocktail and food servers, cooks, guest room attendants, kitchen workers, and porters.
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