The Culinary Workers Union announced on Saturday that they are organizing a significant rally next week on the Las Vegas Strip. As part of this rally, some members will engage in civil disobedience actions, representing a further escalation in their continued efforts to secure a new five-year union contract.
This planned activity follows a broad industrial action in Detroit, in which thousands of hospitality staff walked out. Their protest came in response to the call from unions to strike at several casinos which include MGM Grand Detroit, operated by MGM Resorts International; Hollywood Casino at Greektown, operated by Penn Entertainment; and MotorCity Casino.
In Las Vegas, the rally will take place off Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard, with around 75 workers participating in planned civil disobedience actions at the heart of the Strip, according to the Culinary Union.
Two weeks prior, union members picketed outside a selection of eight casinos under the operation of MGM and Caesars, marking the first such demonstration in nearly twenty years. The workers, as part of their push for a new agreement, are seeking improved wages and benefits, which they view as justly due in light of the record-breaking profits posted by casino operators.
Earlier in the month, representatives from the Culinary Workers and Bartenders Unions met with three major private employers in Las Vegas — MGM, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts. The intent of these meetings was to embark on essential negotiating rounds following the authorization of a city-wide strike by union members in September.
As of the time of this report, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts have not yet responded for comments in relation to the impending rally and potential civil disobedience by union workers.
