MGM Resorts Confirms Deal Reached With Workers in Las Vegas

Article by : Erik Gibbs Nov 13, 2023

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On November 9, hospitality worker unions in Las Vegas, including culinary workers and bartenders, reached a tentative agreement with MGM Resorts International, narrowly avoiding a strike that could have disrupted operations on the Strip.

The new five-year tentative contract covers 25,470 workers at eight MGM properties. This agreement follows a similar deal struck the previous day between Caesars Entertainment and 10,000 workers.

The unions, empowered by a labor shortage, are advocating for improved compensation and benefits. Amid a robust recovery in Las Vegas tourism post-pandemic, casino resort operators, including MGM, have reported record profits.

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union, hailed the agreement as the best in the union’s 88-year history.

Bill Hornbuckle, CEO of MGM, expressed satisfaction with the deal, emphasizing its positive impact on pay, benefits and workloads for Culinary Union employees.

Additionally, the Las Vegas unions secured mandated daily room cleaning and enhanced safety protections for workers during negotiations.

MGM’s stock witnessed a 1.5% decline in morning trading as labor unrest persisted, with Detroit MGM workers maintaining a strike that began in mid-October.

Caesars Entertainment, the second-largest Las Vegas casino operator by employee count after MGM, highlighted “meaningful wage increases” in its agreement with unions, a move deemed “historic” by the union.

By dawn on Friday, the union successfully secured tentative labor agreements with MGM Resorts, Caesars and Wynn Resorts, narrowly avoiding a widespread strike at 18 hotel casinos along the Strip.

The agreements with MGM and Caesars, the two largest employers on the Strip, were reached earlier in the week, while the deal with Wynn Resorts was announced just hours before the strike deadline.

Wynn Resorts expressed satisfaction with the agreement, emphasizing their commitment to providing outstanding benefits and overall compensation in an exceptional work environment.

Although specific terms weren’t immediately disclosed, the proposed five-year contracts are said to include historic wage increases, reduced workloads and other significant gains, such as mandated daily room cleanings, according to the union’s statement.

Christine Cook, a uniform control attendant at Wynn Resorts, highlighted the positive impact on her family’s future, citing wage increases and retroactive pay as key elements of the new contract.