FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Elaine Chaivarlis: Elaine.Chaivarlis@venetianlasvegas.com ▪ (702) 607-4644
Culinary Union and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas agree on terms for first-time union contract
Las Vegas, NV – The Culinary and Bartenders Unions and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, which includes The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort are pleased to announce that a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract was reached Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at 6:42am Pacific. This is a first-time union contract covering over 4,000 of The Venetian Resort Team Members in the food, beverage, housekeeping, bar, lounge, and bell departments as the property officially becomes unionized after 25 years.
The milestone union contract at The Venetian Resort contains standard union protections negotiated and won over the Culinary Union’s 89-year history: Health care benefits, owners and successorship, access to Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, Culinary and Bartenders Housing Fund, Culinary & Bartenders Legal Service Fund, Culinary Union Pension, and includes language on increased worker security regarding sexual harassment, technology, and immigration, and a choice regarding health care benefits. The agreement also secures the largest wage increases ever, workload reductions and daily room cleaning for guest room attendants, safety protections for workers on-the-job, recall rights, and the right for unionized workers to support non-union restaurant workers seeking to unionize through picketing, leafletting, and other actions.
A committee of over 100 Venetian Resort Team Members participated in every main table negotiating session and subcommittee meeting over the last year. The negotiating committee voted this morning to tentatively agree to this new contract and recommend it to their fellow Team Members for approval. The specific terms of the collective bargaining agreement are not being disclosed publicly at this time to allow newly unionized Team Members the opportunity to review the full details of their contract before voting on whether to accept it. A ratification vote will be scheduled soon with the newly unionized Venetian Resort housekeeping Team Members, cocktail and food servers, bus persons, banquet Team Members, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and kitchen Team Members.
“Today’s tentative agreement on a new 4-year union contract with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is a testament to the power of worker solidarity and determination,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “The workers at The Venetian Resort have now made history by unionizing 25-years after the property opened its doors. This contract not only guarantees job security and fair wages, but it also upholds the standards that the Culinary Union has fought to establish in Las Vegas. We’ve always viewed time differently - this isn’t just about the here and now, it’s about building a legacy of fairness and dignity for working families in Las Vegas. Culinary Union applauds The Venetian Resort for doing the right thing and for agreeing to protect their employees with a strong union contract. The Venetian Resort becoming union ensures that Las Vegas remains a place where workers’ voices are heard, respected, and protected.”
“The Venetian Resort Las Vegas has a long history of respecting our Team Members and putting their needs and interests at the center of our decision-making process. The Venetian Resort has been and continues to be the most Team Member focused resort on The Las Vegas Strip. We look forward to ratification of the agreement and to a positive and productive relationship working alongside both the Joint Executive Board and our Team Members,” said Patrick Nichols, president & chief executive officer for The Venetian Resort.
“I’m happy to have the union protections and voice we deserve. This new contract is a game-changer for all of us - getting such a significant wage increase and a pension, is something we’ve been working toward for a long time, and to see it happen this morning is exciting and I appreciate the Culinary Union and The Venetian Resort working together to make it happen,” said Sergio Javier Andrade, floor attendant at The Venetian Resort for 17 years. “We’ve worked hard for this for over a year and I feel very proud of what we were able to accomplish together. By voting yes to ratify, we’re setting ourselves up for a better more secure future.”
“I’m very grateful and believe the union and my co-workers did a great job during the negotiations,” said Gelver Sánchez, food server at Venetian/Palazzo for 25 years. “As a department, we’ve achieved a successful contract and the guarantee of weekly hours and shifts, along with the union wage increase is what excites me the most. Now, it’s important for all my co-workers to understand that we need to ratify to secure the contract. I look forward to a continued and successful future.”
The tentative agreement for this first-time Culinary and Bartenders union contract comes just over one year after the Culinary and Bartenders Unions entered into a card-check neutrality agreement with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
—
ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latinx, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 89 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
ABOUT The Venetian Resort Las Vegas:
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas features all-suite accommodations across The Venetian and The Palazzo. The iconic resort's experience is marked by a commitment to sophisticated play and light-hearted luxury, with world-class restaurants from celebrated chefs; the rejuvenating Canyon Ranch spa + fitness; a five-acre pool and garden deck inspired by the Italian Riviera including TAO Beach Dayclub, a Balinese-inspired tropical oasis; two landmark casinos and a poker room; Voltaire, a new destination nightlife venue that blurs the lines between and intimate club, concert, and non-stop entertainment; TAO Nightclub, and unparalleled retail experiences at Grand Canal Shoppes.
A premier events and conference center, the resort is home to more than 2.25 million square feet of meeting, exposition, and convention space. The Venetian Resort's brand-new loyalty program, Venetian Rewards, offers resort-wide earning and redemption for gaming play, including slots and tables, as well as experiential spend, such as dining, entertainment, hotel reservations, and more.
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is the only place fans can get the full experience of Sphere at The Venetian with concert and hotel packages including preferred seating. Sphere is a next-generation venue that will redefine the future of live entertainment.
The Venetian® and other trademarks are used under license. The names and brands mentioned above are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
###