FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2014
Media contact:
bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ @Bethany Khan ▪ (702) 387-7088
Unions Conclude Contract Negotiations for 44,000 Workers
LAS VEGAS, NV – Union negotiating committees representing workers at the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino reached a tentative agreement for a new five-year contract with the company on June 1. The latest settlements conclude the Culinary and Bartenders Unions’ year-long citywide contract negotiations for 44,000 housekeepers, cooks, food servers, cleaners, cocktail servers, and other hospitality workers at major casino-hotels on the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas whose contracts expire June 1, 2013.
There are now new contracts with: MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, Tropicana, Riviera, Treasure Island, Stratosphere, LVH, Golden Nugget. Properties with tentative agreements where workers will have to vote next week to ratify: The D, Four Queens, Binion’s, Fremont, Main Street Station, Plaza, Las Vegas Club, El Cortez, and the Golden Gate.
“Having a union contract means that I don’t have to worry about whether I can cover my family's medical bills,” said Mike Parker, a houseman at the Golden Gate. “I love seeing how Las Vegas has evolved over the years and am proud that hospitality jobs continue to be good jobs here.”
“We are pleased that we have settled new contracts with our major employers that will allow union members to have an opportunity to provide for their families through hard work under a fair contract,” said Geoconda Arguello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Union. “We will make sure that other casino workers in Las Vegas who aspire to the same union standard of living will be able to join our union family soon.”
“We have had to do a lot of hard work inside and outside our hotel to get our new contract,” said Monica Munguia, a housekeeper at Paris. “We are now ready to support the Cosmopolitan workers, and the workers at Station Casinos to win their fights, too.”
“We are not the Mandalay Bay Union, Caesars Palace Union, or the Golden Nugget Union. We are the Culinary and Bartenders Union,” said Victor Chicas, a server assistant at the Mandalay Bay. “We are stronger when we stand together and we will continue to work hard every day to make Las Vegas a better place to live, work, and visit.”
As of release date, over 44,000 workers in Las Vegas on the Strip and Downtown are working with a new 5-year union contract which protects their health benefits and pensions, improves housekeeping working conditions, and facilitates workers’ return to work in food and beverage jobs. The non-profit Culinary Health Fund covers approximately 120,000 people in Las Vegas with no monthly premium, low co-pays, and an extensive network of doctors, specialists and hospitals. The Culinary and Bartenders Pension Fund ensures that workers can enjoy a dignified retirement after long years of demanding work in the hospitality industry. The laundry workers are still in negotiations for a new contract.
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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