Las Vegas Strip faces a huge potential workers' strike

Usually, most businesses have a lot of leverage over workers, even unionized workers, because people need a paycheck. In most cases, the employees have a lot more to lose than their employers, during even a short work stoppage. 

With six-in-10 Americans living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new survey, it's very hard for anyone to make a choice to forgo getting paid, even for a short time. 

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"Generally, more consumers of all income brackets reported living paycheck to paycheck in July 2023 than last year. The data indicates the persistent financial challenges and inflationary pressures a significant portion of the U.S. population faces," LendingClub, which conducted the survey of 3,443 U.S. consumers.

That might not be the case for airline pilots as Southwest's (LUV) - Get Free Report pilots union has authorized a strike (that can't legally happen), but it certainly impacts the decision of the Culinary and Bartenders Unions, which represent 53,000 workers in Las Vegas. Those workers have contracts ending this year, and they have now set a date to vote on a potential strike.

Las Vegas workers have some leverage

The union's members work across all the major casino operators, including Caesars Entertainment (CZR) - Get Free Report, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts, and many other Strip and downtown players. On Sept. 26, the union will hold an in-person vote for its members.     

"If a majority of workers between both sessions vote yes, then the Culinary and Bartenders Unions negotiating committee will be authorized to call for a strike. The Culinary Union has not yet set a strike deadline and continues negotiating in good faith with all gaming companies," the union shared in a press release.

An authorization to strike gives the union added negotiating power because a strike during the November Formula 1 race — expected to be the largest revenue-driving weekend in Las Vegas history — would devastate the event. 

The union has not set a strike date and insists it continues to negotiate in good faith with Caesars, MGM, and Wynn, the three largest employers on the Strip.

Here's what Las Vegas' hospitality workers want

The union has proposed a new five-year contract that would grant its workers the largest raise in the union's history. That, however is not the only concession the union wants from a list that includes most Strip and downtown Las Vegas resorts, hotels, and casinos. 

On behalf of its members, the Culinary and Bartenders Unions also wants:

• Reducing workload and steep housekeeping room quotas, mandating daily room cleaning, and establishing the right for guest room attendants to securely work in set areas.
• Providing the best on-the-job safety protections for all classifications, including safety committees, and expanding the use of safety buttons to more workers.
• Strengthening existing technology protections to guarantee advanced notification when new technology is introduced that would impact jobs. 

• Extending recall rights so that workers have more job security and have the right to return to their jobs in the event of another pandemic or economic crisis.

Those are the highlights, but not the only provisions of the contract the union has proposed. Quality of life issues and what the union sees as fairness are also part of what it's asking for.

"Companies are generating record profits, and we demand that workers aren’t left behind and have a fair share of that success,” said Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in a post on the union's website. "...It’s disappointing that we are still so far apart from the casinos after months of negotiations with the largest three gaming companies in Las Vegas."

Making sure that daily room cleaning continues to be the normal practice in Las Vegas is a key part of the union's proposal. 

"Daily room cleaning is a safety and workload issue. When it’s been three or four days since I’ve been assigned to clean a room, I’m never sure what I’m going to find behind that door. I worry that there could be a body, a totally trashed room, or a stash of guns like what was in the hotel room on October 1,” said Evangelina Alaniz, a guest room attendant at MGM Resorts International’s (MGM) - Get Free Report Bellagio and Culinary Union member for 18 years.

The union also wants provisions to improve the safety of its members.

"Safety is a major concern for workers on the Las Vegas Strip, especially after the events of October 1. Since the pandemic, there has been a difference in guest behavior and a lack of security guards to deal with problems,” said Aretha Wilder, a cocktail server at the Caesars' Flamingo and Culinary Union member for 27 years. “