Las Vegas is one of the rapidly developing states which is emblematic with its seemingly well-arranged gambling industry, but as the past several weeks show workers in the industry have been discontent with their current situation. This Tuesday saw the long-anticipated voting of MGM Resorts employees which gave green light to their new contracts which will oversee their employment in the upcoming five years.
The very last days of May brought the news that workers in as many as 30 casino resorts located on Las Vegas Strip will see their employment contracts expire at the end of the month. This was the reason why they sought the help of the Culinary Union which represents their interest in front of the casino developers in the industry. The total number of employees willing to go out on a strike on the streets and substantially cripple the operation of the casino resorts they work at amounted to some 50,000 people.
Being a significant threat to the normal operation of the field and threatening locations with not enough people available to aid their operation, this citywide strike had to be prevented. Tuesday was appointed as the day on which special vote would be held giving MGM Resorts workers the chance to cast their vote. They are employed at some of the major resorts in the area to the liking of Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Aria Resort and Casino, as well as Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
New Arrangements Receive Green Light
The overall number of people who cast their vote on 19th June reached 24,000 which is about half of the entire employees pool protesting their contracts. Voting comes a couple of weeks after the initial tentative agreement was reached among the parties involved which secured that worker would not go out on a strike until the official vote takes place and the contracts are firmly arranged.
One of the biggest threats of the field came from the fact that according to the estimations made, every day of the strike could have cost some $10 million in loss for the major casino developers. Just as the strike was authorized two tentative agreements were reached with Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts. The vote gave a green light for the new conditions which are going to set the tone for the forthcoming five years.
According to them, the new contracts are going to feature an increase in the workers’ wages taking place every single year until the desired amount is reached. Further protection is provided for the employees in the event of a casino resort changing its owner, arranging their rights in the situation.
Since sexual harassment and misconduct is such a widely discussed topic in the field, every housekeeper will receive a special device which will help them signal the security teams in the case of a potential situation which threatens their well-being at the workplace. Probably one of the most significant changes brought with the help of the new contracts is the immigrants’ protection they provide for people who live in the US under temporary protective status.
These new contracts will be applied in a retroactive manner from 1st June, following the expiration of the previous ones. In the meantime, the workers of Caesars Entertainment, the other big casino developer affected by the strike threats approved their new contracts last Thursday.
