It would be hard to hire short-term replacement workers locally because unemployment is low in Las Vegas.Įric Brasure of Newark, Delaware, is planning a trip to Las Vegas to attend a Star Trek convention in the summer. Operators that have casino-hotels in other states likely have begun sending notices to some workers at those properties to draw them to Las Vegas temporarily, McCall said.
However, Fiorenza said major casinos have contingency plans, and he expects them to find ways to continue operating if a strike does happen, such as using managers in front-line jobs and bringing in workers from outside the area. Both companies have said they expect to reach agreements with the union. MGM Resorts International ( MGM) and Caesars Entertainment ( CZR) operate more than half the properties that a strike would affect. Union officials say workers want to increase wages, protect job security against the increasing use of technology at hotel-casinos and strengthen language against sexual harassment. Individual casino operating companies and the union have failed to reach agreements through negotiations that began in February. Half of those workers cast ballots Tuesday, a majority of whom authorized a strike at any time starting June 1. The contracts of 50,000 members of the Culinary Union who work at 34 different casino-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas are set to expire at midnight May 31.
