Steve Marcus
Union members listen to Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, during a break in contract negotiations between the Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, and Caesars Entertainment at the Horseshoe Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
Published Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 | 6:36 a.m.
Updated 51 minutes ago
The Culinary Workers Union has reached a tentative deal with Caesars Entertainment on a new five-year contract, union officials said early this morning.
The announcement came days before the 5 a.m. Friday strike deadline for the 10,000 union members working at nine Caesars properties on the Las Vegas Strip.
The agreement is the product of 20 straight hours of talks with union negotiators and Caesars, union officials said.
Negotiations with MGM Resorts International are scheduled for today and Wynn Resorts on Thursday. The deal with Caesars could provide a framework for talks with the other resort companies.
“We are proud of our decades-long relationship with (the union) and our shared commitment to the hospitality workers who are the heart and soul of Las Vegas,” Caesars officials said in a statement.
Bargaining has been underway since April over pay, benefits, job security and working conditions. But negotiations have ramped up in recent months after an overwhelming majority of union members voted in September to authorize a strike.
The vote was followed by large-scale rallies on the Strip, including one last month that ended with the arrests of 58 workers who sat in the street and halted rush-hour traffic. The workers called it a show of force ahead of any potential strike.
About 35,000 union members across the properties have been working on expired contracts for the last five months.
“I think that the right thing to do for these companies is to sit down and bargain in good faith and let’s just get this contract done; these workers deserve a great contract,” Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer and chief negotiator, said last week. “If they’re not willing to do that, then yes, we’re going to ask customers to take their money and spend it elsewhere.”
Union officials are expected to speak later today.
Caesars officials said the new deal recognizes the contributions union members have made to the company’s success in Las Vegas in recent years.
“In this landmark agreement, our nearly 10,000 (union members) will see meaningful wage increases that align with our past performance, along with continued opportunities for growth tied to our future plans to bring more union jobs to the Las Vegas Strip,” Caesars said in the statement. “Through this agreement, Caesars Entertainment will ensure that as we grow, our team members grow with us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.