The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, both in Las Vegas, Nevada, and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, which includes The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort, reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract on Aug. 20. This is a first-time Culinary Union contract covering over 4,000 of The Venetian Resort team members in the food, beverage, housekeeping, bar, lounge, and bell departments as the property officially becomes unionized after 25 years.
The milestone union contract at The Venetian Resort contains standard union protections negotiated and won over the Culinary Union’s 89-year history: health care benefits, owners and successorship, access to Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, Culinary and Bartenders Housing Fund, Culinary and Bartenders Legal Service Fund, Culinary Union Pension, and language on increased worker security regarding sexual harassment, technology, and immigration, and a choice regarding health care benefits. The agreement also secures the largest wage increases ever, workload reductions and daily room cleaning for guest room attendants, safety protections for workers on-the-job, recall rights, and the right for unionized workers to support nonunion restaurant workers seeking to unionize through picketing, leafletting, and other actions.
A committee of over 100 Venetian Resort team members participated in every main table negotiating session and subcommittee meeting over the last year. The negotiating committee voted to tentatively agree to this new contract and recommend it to their fellow team members for approval. The specific terms of the collective bargaining agreement are not being disclosed publicly at this time to allow newly unionized team members the opportunity to review the full details of their contract before voting on whether to accept it. A ratification vote will be scheduled soon with the newly unionized Venetian Resort housekeeping team members, cocktail and food servers, bus people, banquet team members, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and kitchen team members.
“Today’s tentative agreement on a new four-year union contract with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is a testament to the power of worker solidarity and determination,” says Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, in a prepared statement. “The workers at The Venetian Resort have now made history by unionizing 25 years after the property opened its doors. This contract not only guarantees job security and fair wages, but it also upholds the standards that the Culinary Union has fought to establish in Las Vegas. We have always viewed time differently—this isn’t just about the here and now, it’s about building a legacy of fairness and dignity for working families in Las Vegas. Culinary Union applauds The Venetian Resort for doing the right thing and for agreeing to protect their employees with a strong union contract. The Venetian Resort becoming union ensures that Las Vegas remains a place where workers’ voices are heard, respected, and protected.”
“The Venetian Resort Las Vegas has a long history of respecting our team members and putting their needs and interests at the center of our decision-making process,” says Patrick Nichols, president and CEO for The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. “The Venetian Resort has been and continues to be the most team member-focused resort on the Las Vegas Strip. We look forward to ratification of the agreement and to a positive and productive relationship working alongside both the Joint Executive Board and our team members.”
“I’m happy to have the union protections and voice we deserve,” says Sergio Javier Andrade, floor attendant at The Venetian Resort for 17 years. “This new contract is a game-changer for all of us—getting such a significant wage increase and a pension is something we have been working toward for a long time, and to see it happen this morning is exciting, and I appreciate the Culinary Union and The Venetian Resort working together to make it happen. We have worked hard for this for over a year, and I feel very proud of what we were able to accomplish together. By voting yes to ratify, we’re setting ourselves up for a better, more secure future.”
“I’m very grateful and believe the union and my co-workers did a great job during the negotiations,” says Gelver Sánchez, food server at Venetian/Palazzo for 25 years. “As a department, we have achieved a successful contract and the guarantee of weekly hours and shifts, along with the union wage increase is what excites me the most. Now, it’s important for all my co-workers to understand that we need to ratify to secure the contract. I look forward to a continued and successful future.”
The tentative agreement for this first-time Culinary Union contract comes just over one year after the Culinary and Bartenders unions entered into a card-check neutrality agreement with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
