Worker Station

In union casinos workers collectively negotiate legally binding contracts with their employers that cover wages, benefits, hours, and working conditions.  Because Culinary and Bartenders members have a union contract, their employers cannot with the waive of a pen cut wages, renege on scheduled pay increases, increase workers’ health insurance costs, slash retirement benefits, or eliminate workers jobs through subcontracting. 

In the spring of 2009, Strip and downtown casino employers with union contracts came to the union seeking economic relief to help them weather the severe downturn in the economy.  Large meetings were held in which the companies presented to employees and their union representatives their financial situation.  The companies made proposals to the workers and the union made counter-proposals.  The companies and the workers shortly reached a tentative agreement that the union’s membership voted to accept.

In the agreement, members consented to delay for one-year their 2009 wage increase.  The increase will be spread out over the remaining years of the contract.  In exchange, the companies agreed to union proposals, including:

• Increasing from one year to two years recall rights for laid-off workers that require laid-off workers to be brought back to work, by order of seniority, as soon as work is available.  This was extremely important because the recession has lead to layoffs and without the extension, workers would have lost their recall rights after six months.  Now they have those recall rights for up to two years;
  
• Extending the union contract for one-year; and
  
• Permitting five unpaid personal days.
  

Union members rejected the companies’ proposals seeking to reduce the number of hours for full-time workers and to increase the number of part-time employees.  Union members also kept their free health insurance and have had hourly contributions to their pension increased to protect their retirement funds.