LAS VEGAS (CelebrityAccess) Union workers employed by Caesars Entertainment have approved a new five-year contract that will like avert a potentially costly strike in Las Vegas.
Thousands of members of the Culinary Union voted in two sessions to ratify the agreement that addresses sexual harassment in the workplace, job security, wage increases and immigration status, according to the Associated Press. The contract covers 12,000 workers on the Las Vegas Strip and a nearby property.
The union reached a tentative agreement with Caesars, then with MGM Resorts International, the two largest hotel operators on the Strip. The contract appears to be well-received.
“I attended the negotiations, and this is the best contract we’ve reached in the history of the union, especially for (guest room attendants),” Caesars Palace housekeeper Rocio Puente told the AP. “I’m really happy. We were telling our co-workers yesterday to come vote today.”
Puente said she voted for the agreement because it included that all housekeepers be given a wireless device that would allow them to alert security if facing a threat.
“I’m ecstatic about it. This is something we need for our future,” Harrah’s cook Olee Stewart told the AP. “I have a mortgage, and (the contract) helps get me to the ending goal: Getting it paid before I retire. This guarantees that I can get to the end of the line on that one.”
The average worker on the Strip currently makes $23 an hour with benefits including premium-free health care, a pension and a 401(k) plan.
