We love to start our Mondays off with hopeful news, and today I have just that for you!
For 25 years now, the Venetian has been resisting organizing efforts and was one of the last left on the Strip to unionize. They have been locked in a lengthy standoff with the Culinary Workers Union, and neither side was budging. Since the Veneticain just had a recent change in ownership, it opened a window to unionizing representation. This happened while the Strip’s newest casino, Fontainebleau, also signed its first labor contract.
Make no mistake, the finalization of these historic contracts is marking a significant shift. For the first time, in the Culinary Union's 90-year history, all major casinos on the Strip are unionized.
Supported by 60,000 union members, most of them residing in Las Vegas, it is now the largest labor union in all of Nevada. According to experts, the Culinary Union’s success is a massive exception in a nationwide arena where overall union membership is declining.
A Venetian housekeeping employee who has been working for 16 years and supports her 2-year-old daughter said, “Now with the union, we have a voice.”
Right now, union membership nationally is at an all-time low, especially with Republicans spearheading efforts to curb union power. Right now, about 10% of employees are unionized, which is 20% below the 1983 number.
It also doesn’t help that Donald Trump signed an executive order in March looking to end collective bargaining for federal employees, which led to union leaders suing his administration.
What happened in Las Vegas was an actual domino effect that the media should cover more. In 2023, about 35,000 hospitality workers with expired contracts threatened to walk out. They struck a last-minute deal with Caesers’s to divert the walkout barely. Little did they know that this would spark a long-lasting movement on the Strip, with MGM Resorts and Wynn properties also finalizing similar deals.
The union’s influence has also meaningfully mobilized thousands of its members for canvassing and voter outreach, with their endorsements signaling who has the best shot at winning the working class vote.
These contracts are also delightful deals; they secure a historic 32% bump in pay over the 5-year contract, and union workers will earn an average of $35 hourly, including benefits.
The unionization of the Venetian marks not just the end of a decades-long standoff, but the beginning of a new chapter for labor power on the Las Vegas Strip.
For the first time in its 90-year history, the Culinary Workers Union can claim full representation across all major Strip casinos… an unprecedented victory in today’s challenging national climate for organized labor.
Amid a steep national decline in union membership and increasing political opposition, this milestone stands out as a powerful reminder of what collective action can achieve.
With better wages, stronger protections, and a united voice, tens of thousands of hospitality workers in Las Vegas are not just changing their futures; they're setting a standard for labor movements across the country.
Great news!
Hey. If that’s your joy…..