The Culinary Union and Bartenders Union reached a strike-averting deal with Wynn resorts Las Vegas less than 3 hours before a 5 a.m. Friday strike deadline. Both Wynn and the unions hailed the tentative agreement. Workers are shown doing strike preparation Monday.
Photo courtesy of Culinary Union FacebookNov. 10 (UPI) — The Culinary and Bartender unions Friday announced a tentative labor contract with Wynn Resorts, touting the strike-averting agreement reached just 3 hours before a strike deadline as a groundbreaking historic win for workers and for Wynn.
“With this new union contract, hospitality workers will be able to provide for their families and thrive in Las Vegas and we applaud Wynn Resorts for agreeing to a great union contract, which will ensure workers are protected with the best healthcare benefits, highest wage increases ever, and union job security,” Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in a statement.
Wynn spokesperson Michael Weaver said in a statement: “We strongly believe that only the most talented and empowered employees, working in an environment in which they feel valued and well compensated, can deliver our signature Wynn and Encore guest experiences. Therefore, we are very pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which fulfills our shared goal of providing outstanding benefits and overall compensation to our employees in a work environment that is second to none.”
The deal was reached in the early morning hours Friday just ahead of a 5 a.m. strike deadline. It covers 5,000 hospitality workers, who will decide in a ratification vote whether to accept the tentative labor contract agreement.
The labor deal trifecta managed to avoid three strikes by nearly 35,000 union members at Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts.
The Culinary Union hailed these bargaining successes as the best terms with the largest pay increases in the union’s 88-year history.
The biggest deal was reached with MGM Resorts Thursday, where 25,400 union workers poised to strike instead will be able to stay on the job with improved wages and working conditions, according to the Culinary Union.
An agreement for 10,000 workers with Caesars Entertainment was reached Wednesday.
The gains made for the union workers include significant wage raises every year of the five-year labor contracts, preservation of what the Culinary Union said was great union health insurance and union pensions, as well as substantial improvements in housekeeping workload reductions and safety.
Details on the terms were not made public, but the unions said it’s the best compensation they’ve reached in their 88-year history. Under the contract that expired Sept. 15, the union workers were making an average of $26 an hour.
Wynn’s statement said the company has enjoyed a relationship with its union workers “that is based on mutual respect and a shared interest in doing the best we can for those most important to us — our employees.”
