Thousands of MGM, Caesars employees prepare to go on strike

The first picket in over 20 years will take place at the MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment casinos in Las Vegas as thousands of employees prepare for a potential strike.

While casino owners are claiming record profits, the Culinary Workers and Bartenders Unions are requesting a new five-year contract with better pay and benefits. The threat of a strike has historically been enough to spur agreement during negotiations, but current discussions have been protracted, according to union leaders.

Eight MGM and Caesars resort sites will have picket lines in front of them, and the unions have requested that casino patrons respect their picket lines. The 53,000 hospitality workers represented by these unions in Las Vegas have the potential to have a big influence on the city’s tourist sector.

The unions are pushing for more pay, enhanced safety standards, lower housekeeping targets, and stronger job security against emerging technology that might endanger employment. It has been said that negotiations with MGM, Caesars, and Wynn Resorts have been “very disappointing,” since none of the corporations have made significant compensation offers.

Las Vegas’s economy depends heavily on tourism, and the city is getting ready for important occasions like a Formula 1 race that will likely bring over 100,000 visitors in November. Even though August visitors are down by around 7% from August 2019 before the epidemic, accommodation prices have gone up by more than 30%.

A 1% pay rise is predicted to boost labor expenses by millions of dollars, which might have a severe financial effect on casino owners.

MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have not responded to the possible strike as of this writing.

Original story by: Reuters