FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2014
Media contact:
bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ @Bethany Khan ▪ (702) 387-7088
Tentative Agreements reached with the Fremont and Main Street Station
LAS VEGAS, NV – The Culinary and Bartenders Unions’ negotiating committee reached a tentative agreement with Boyd Gaming for new 5-year contracts with the Fremont Hotel & Casino and Main Street Station. The settlement follows the terms of the new Golden Nugget contract, which was ratified by workers on May 1. The parties reached a settlement days before workers were scheduled to go on strike on June 1. The tentative agreement with the Fremont and Main Street Station mean these two casinos are no longer on the list of casinos facing a strike on June 1.
“We are pleased to have a tentative agreement with the Fremont and Main Street Station,” said Geoconda Arguello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Union. “Boyd has shown that they respect their employees and are invested in their workforce. We hope that the other Downtown casinos follow the example of Boyd and Golden Nugget as we negotiate with them over the next couple of days.”
“I’m very excited to have a new contract,” said Barbara Chambers, a status board operator at the Fremont. “We will maintain our great healthcare and pension benefits, and we can continue to keep Downtown casino jobs good jobs.”
“Even though I already have contract, I will be there on June 1 to support my brothers and sisters who are going on strike in Downtown,” said Effrain Becerra, a food and beverage cashier at Harrah’s on the Las Vegas Strip. “We are not going to leave anyone behind.”
At 5 a.m. on June 1, restaurant workers, hotel housekeepers, cocktail servers, bartenders, and other members of the unions at unsettled casinos will walk off their jobs and start 24/7 picketing of The D, Four Queens, Binion’s, Plaza, Las Vegas Club, El Cortez, and Golden Gate unless fair agreements are reached.
Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent over 55,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 270,000 hospitality workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
www.CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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