Las Vegas hospitality workers at Venetian reach tentative deal on first-ever union contract

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Thousands of hospitality workers on the Las Vegas Strip have reached a tentative deal with the Venetian and Palazzo resorts, a first for employees at the sprawling Italian-inspired complex.

The Culinary Workers Union announced Tuesday on the social platform X that it came to a tentative agreement with the property just before 6:30 a.m. for over 4,000 hotel and casino workers. The deal needs to be approved by the union’s rank and file.

In a short video shared by the union, a housekeeper at the Venetian said the pending contract is proof that “things change if we actually voice our concern and have a group of people that back us up.”

“First-time contract for Venetian,” she said, smiling. “It’s a very historical event. It’s something we can be proud of.”

Terms of the proposed contract weren’t immediately released. Messages were left with a union spokesperson and with the Venetian and Palazzo.

Recent contracts, however, awarded a 32% pay increase over five years to 40,000 workers across the Las Vegas Strip — including at 18 properties owned or operated by casino giants like MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts.

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The bump in pay under those contracts will amount to an average $35 hourly wage by the end of the contracts, according to the union. Workers at these properties were making about $26 hourly with benefits before winning their latest contracts in November.

Described by the Culinary Union as their “best contracts ever,” the deals ended lengthy labor disputes that had brought the threat of a historic strike to the Strip. Other major wins included housekeeping workload reductions and improved job security amid advancements in technology.

The Venetian and the adjoining Palazzo are a Sin City landmark, with its gondolas gliding on canals through an indoor plaza with stores, restaurants and entertainment, and outside near Las Vegas Boulevard sidewalks.

In another short video released by the union, Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer and lead negotiator, is seen addressing a group of workers inside a casino ballroom just after they had secured their tentative deal.

“We have an agreement, and we now have a union contract after 25 years here in the Venetian,” he said to a round of applause. The Venetian opened in 1999.