Las Vegas casino workers vote for strike action on June 1

Las Vegas casinos are bracing for a summer of strife after unionized workers voted to go out on strike on June 1.

On Tuesday, roughly 25k members of Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 voted 99% in favor of a citywide strike as early as June 1, when 50k workers’ current union contracts with 34 Vegas casino resorts are set to expire.

Culinary Union secretary-treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline called a strike “a last resort,” saying workers want to reach a new agreement but are prepared to hit the picket lines if there’s no agreement by June 1.

The unions, which represent everything from bartenders to porters to guest room attendants, are seeking (among other things) greater workplace safety and protection from sexual harassment (even if Steve Wynn has left the building). The unions also want a “fair share” of the casinos’ “enormous anticipated cash flows and Trump tax windfalls.”