LAS VEGAS – Hospitality workers in Culinary Local 226 have reached a tentative contract agreement with Wynn Resorts, joining two other major employers in reaching a deal and averting what could have been the largest hospitality strike in U.S. history.

About 35,000 union members at Wynn, MGM Resorts International, and Caesars Entertainment threatened to walk off the job by 5 a.m. Friday if there was no resolution on the five-year contract — less than a week before the area hosts the inaugural Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Wynn Resorts operates Wynn and Encore on the Strip and has about 5,000 union members. The company said in a statement that it is “very pleased” with the agreement, 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 tentative agreement comes after about seven months of negotiations. Top union negotiators said they were pushing for “the largest wage increases ever negotiated” in the union’s history in the new contract. They also negotiated over improvements in workload reduction, on-the-job safety, strengthening protections from job-replacing technology, and extended recall rights.

The three deals are largely seen as setting a standard for other Strip properties run by independent operators. The union said 24 other casino-resort companies on the Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas are still working under contract extensions. Culinary has said it could call other strike deadlines.

The tentative agreement with Wynn Resorts is a major victory for hospitality workers in Las Vegas. It comes at a time when the city is facing a labor shortage and the cost of living is rising rapidly. The new contract will help to ensure that hospitality workers are paid a fair wage and have the benefits they need to support their families.

The agreement is also good news for the Las Vegas economy. A strike would have had a devastating impact on the city’s tourism industry. The fact that a deal was reached before the strike deadline is a sign that the union and the casino operators are committed to working together to build a strong and prosperous future for Las Vegas.

Credits: Review Journal

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