Milestone union wins on the Las Vegas Strip stand in stark contrast to national decline

For the first time in its 90-year history, the Culinary Workers Union has secured representation across all major casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, marking a landmark victory for organized labor in Nevada’s gaming industry.

The breakthrough follows unionization deals at the Venetian and newly opened Fontainebleau, both finalized late last year. The Culinary Union, which represents 60,000 workers, most of them based in Las Vegas, is the largest labor union in Nevada.

“Now with the union, we have a voice,” stated Susana Pacheco, a housekeeper at the Venetian, who said the new contract has improved her work-life balance and provided better pay and time off.

The latest five-year labor agreements include a 32% increase in pay, with union members set to earn an average of $35 per hour, including benefits, by the end of the contract term. Workers also secured improved conditions, such as more manageable workloads and enhanced health coverage.

The union’s organizing success stands in contrast to a broader national decline in union membership, which fell to 10% in 2024 from 20% in 1983, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nevada is among more than two dozen U.S. states with “right to work” laws, allowing workers to opt out of union membership and dues.

Ruben Garcia, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas law school, credited the Culinary Union’s resilience to its ability to adapt to the corporatization of the Strip, where a handful of companies - MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts - control the majority of properties.

“That consolidation can make things harder for workers in some ways, but it also gives unions one large target,” Garcia said.

That leverage proved critical in 2023 when 35,000 hospitality workers with expired contracts threatened to strike. A last-minute agreement with Caesars triggered a chain reaction, leading to similar deals with MGM and Wynn.

The union's influence extends beyond labor contracts. Its voter mobilization efforts make it a powerful political player in Nevada, especially among Democratic candidates courting working-class voters.

Still, the union has faced challenges. In 2024, two food service workers filed federal complaints accusing the union of deducting dues against their wishes. Although 95% to 98% of eligible workers opt into membership, some remain skeptical.

“I don’t think Culinary Union bosses deserve my support... Their actions since I attempted to exercise my right to stop dues payments only confirm my decision,” said Renee Guerrero, a worker at T-Mobile Arena.

Historian Michael Green noted that labor resistance is nothing new in Las Vegas. “Historically, there have always been people who are anti-union,” he said.

But for longtime members like Paul Anthony, a food server at the Bellagio and a Culinary Union member for nearly 40 years, the benefits are undeniable.

“A lot of times it is an industry that doesn’t have longevity,” Anthony said. “But on the Strip, it’s a job that people can do for ‘20 years, 30 years, 40 years.”

Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer and lead negotiator, called the full unionization of the Strip a fulfillment of the union’s long-standing ambition.

“It’s always been our goal to make sure that this town is a union town,” he said.