Culinary Union Votes to Set Strike Date

Think your dining experience in Las Vegas is not as good as it should be? Just wait.

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 has announced that it has scheduled a strike authorization vote on September 12th for workers who are still working without new collective bargaining agreements at that time. At that time, they will vote to authorize the union's negotiating committee to call for strikes at casinos without new contract settlements.

The Culinary Workers Union represents over 60,000 workers in the Las Vegas gaming and hospitality industry. Approximately 50,000 Culinary Union members work at casinos whose collective bargaining agreements expired on June 1, 2007. As of just last week, only workers at seven of Harrah's Entertainment's Las Vegas properties have settled new contracts; the new contracts at Harrah's properties cover approximately 15,000 workers. Over 30,000 additional workers on the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas are working under extended or expired contracts.

The Union has been in negotiations with Las Vegas gaming giant MGM Mirage since March 2007, for new agreements covering more than 21,000 workers at nine of the company's Las Vegas Strip properties. Earlier this month, the Union began negotiations with other casino operators on the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown covering an additional 14,000 workers.

They know that strength in numbers will provide for them better, and with the billion-dollar industry surrounding them, let's see if the gaming giants will open their pocketbooks a little more for what can literally be their "bread and butter".

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