Unions representing Las Vegas casino workers are set to hold a strike vote today, May 22, and while a potential strike wouldn’t take place until June 1, union officials are warning travelers that the vote could cause disruptions on the Strip.
Votes are set to take place in two sessions, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (all times local). Union officials are also advising travelers to avoid the Strip and Tropicana Avenue, as tens of thousands of union members are expected to attend the two voting sessions, according to the voting announcement.
The strike vote is being organized by UNITE HERE’s Culinary and Bartenders Unions, which represent 50,000 union workers at Las Vegas casinos. At issue are a series of contracts set to expire on June 1 at 34 casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas, including properties operated by MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Penn National, Golden Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, and more.
The union members, including bartenders, guest room attendants, cocktail servers, food servers, porters, bellman, cooks and kitchen workers, are advocating for stronger protections against sexual harassment, improved workplace safety and new rules on subcontracting, technology and immigration. The unions are also calling for higher pay resulting from the recent tax cuts passed by President Donald Trump and Congress.
If union members vote to strike, strikes could begin as soon as the morning of June 1. The last time that happened was 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 at www.VegasTravelAlert.org to keep track of the travel impacts of the labor disputes.
Here’s a list of all 34 casino resorts whose contracts are set to expire June 1 and thus could be affected by the strike:
- Bally's Las Vegas
- Caesars Palace, including Nobu
- Flamingo Las Vegas
- Harrah's Las Vegas
- Paris Las Vegas
- Planet Hollywood
- The Cromwell
- The LINQ
- Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas
- SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, including W Hotel
- Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower
- Treasure Island Hotel & Casino
- Tropicana Las Vegas
- Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
- Aria Resort & Casino
- Bellagio Hotel & Casino
- Circus Circus Hotel & Resort
- Excalibur Hotel & Casino
- Luxor Hotel & Casino
- MGM Grand Las Vegas
- Mandalay Bay, including Delano
- The Mirage
- Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino (Park MGM)
- New York-New York Hotel & Casino
- Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel
- Fremont Hotel & Casino
- Main Street Station Casino Brewery & Hotel
- Four Queens Resort and Casino Las Vegas
- Golden Gate Casino
- Golden Nugget Las Vegas
- The D Las Vegas
- Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
- Plaza Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
- El Cortez Hotel and Casino
Stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com for further updates on this developing story.
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