It's a major turning point: For the first time in the 60,000-member Culinary Union's 90-year history, all major casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are unionized, a notable success for Nevada's largest union amid a national landscape where union membership overall is declining. "Together, we've shown that change can be a positive force, and I'm confident that this partnership will continue to benefit us all in the years to come," Patrick Nichols, president and CEO of the Venetian, said shortly after workers approved the deal.
Housekeeper Susana Pacheco says their new contract has already reshaped her day-to-day life. She no longer races against the clock to clean an unmanageable number of hotel suites, and spends more quality time with her children because of the better pay and guaranteed days off. "Now with the union, we have a voice," Pacheco tells the AP. These gains come at a time when union membership nationally is at an all-time low, and despite Republican-led efforts over the years to curb union power. About 10% of US workers belonged to a union in 2024, down from 20% in 1983, the first year for which data is available, according to US Bureau of Labor statistics.
Ruben Garcia, professor and director of the workplace program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas law school, said the Culinary Union's resilience stems from its deep roots in Las Vegas, its ability to adapt to the growth and corporatization of the casino industry, and its long history of navigating complex power dynamics with casino owners and operators. He said the consolidation of casinos on the Las Vegas Strip mirrors the dominance of the Big Three automakers in Detroit. A few powerful companies—MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts—now control most of the dozens of casinos along Las Vegas Boulevard. "That consolidation can make things harder for workers in some ways, but it also gives unions one large target," Garcia said.
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The latest contracts secured a historic 32% bump in pay over the life of the five-year contract. Union casino workers will earn an average $35 hourly, including benefits, by the end of it. Ted Pappageorge, the union's lead negotiator, said the union calls the ability to retire from a job on the Strip the "Las Vegas dream." "It's always been our goal to make sure that this town is a union town," he said.
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