Unionization sweeps Las Vegas Strip casinos, bucking national movement towards non-unionized establishments
In the bustling heart of Las Vegas, the Culinary Workers Union has achieved a remarkable feat that contrasts sharply with the nationwide decline in union membership. After 90 years of advocacy, the union has managed to unionize all major casinos on the Strip, a first in its history.
The success story began with the Venetian's change in ownership, which broke a 25-year standoff and allowed unionization where previous owners had resisted. The union also secured its first labor contract at the newly opened Fontainebleau, expanding its reach.
Key factors in this success include the union's historical longevity and local embeddedness, strategic timing with ownership changes, improved wages and working conditions, mobilization and political engagement, and winning new contracts at emerging properties.
The union's influence extends far beyond the casino floor, with its ability to mobilize thousands of members for canvassing and voter outreach. The Culinary Union, with 60,000 members, is the largest labor union in Nevada.
For a housekeeper like Susana Pacheco, who has worked at a casino on the Strip for 16 years, the new contract has improved her day-to-day life, allowing her to spend more quality time with her children due to better pay and guaranteed days off.
The new contracts also provide added security during a period when Las Vegas' tourism is dipping, with visitation down 11% in June compared to the previous year. The latest contracts secured a historic 32% bump in pay over the life of the five-year contract. Union casino workers will earn an average $35 hourly, including benefits, by the end of it.
However, the union's resilience in Las Vegas has not been without controversy. Two food service workers filed federal complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the union of deducting dues despite their objections to union membership.
Despite these challenges, the Culinary Union's resilience is attributed to its deep roots in Las Vegas, its ability to adapt to the growth and corporatization of the casino industry, and its long history of navigating complex power dynamics with casino owners and operators.
The union's endorsements are highly coveted, particularly among Democrats, and can signal who has the best shot at winning working-class votes. Republican-led efforts to curb union power have not affected the Culinary Union's resilience in Las Vegas.
This union victory on the Las Vegas Strip is a notable exception in a national landscape where union membership is declining. The success mirrors the dominance of the Big Three automakers in Detroit, demonstrating that unions can thrive even in the face of industry transformation.
In the city of Las Vegas, the unionization of major casinos on the Strip, such as the Venetian and Fontainebleau, marks a significant milestone for the Culinary Workers Union, making Las Vegas a noteworthy exception in the nationwide decline of union membership. This triumph in the casino-and-gambling industry echoes the resilience shown by the Big Three automakers in Detroit, demonstrating that unions can persist and even prosper amidst industry transformation.
