Workers in MGM Casino to vote new contract terms

Workers in the 10 Las Vegas properties at MGM Resorts International are going to vote today to approve, or reject, their new contract terms. The new five-year contract covers the terms and conditions of the jobs of 24,000 unionised workers employed across MGM’s casino resorts around the city. Thousands of Caesars workers approved similar contract terms last Thursday to conclude months of negotiations. While more thorough details about the deal between the casino operator and its employees were not disclosed, the new contract was described as the best one ever reached.

Representatives from Las Vegas’ UNITE HERE Bartenders and Culinary Unions said that the Caesars agreement was very similar to the one negotiated with MGM.

Unionised workers at MGM’s Las Vegas properties will vote Tuesday on a proposed wage increase as well as on various measures aimed at ensuring better protection at the workplace. Geoconda Argüello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, previously explained that the new MGM contract included languages addressing sexual harassment, safety, and immigration issues, among other things.

Under the new agreement, workers will be trained to report sexual harassment incidents properly and in a timely manner. The city’s labour unions called for new policies after multiple sexual misconduct allegations emerged against casino boss Steve Wynn back in January.

According to a survey conducted by the city’s Bartender and Culinary Unions earlier this year, around 59 per cent of all interviewed cocktail servers and 27 per cent of all interviewed housekeepers at casino resorts had been sexually harassed by guests, members of management teams, or other individuals.

As mentioned above, the new contract also aims to address safety concerns raised by employees in the wake of the October 1 deadly shooting in which a lone gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of MGM’s Mandalay Bay into a crowd of people, killing 58 and injuring more than 500 others. Under the newly negotiated terms, housekeeping staff will be provided with wireless devices to alert security about any potential risks and threats.

It is also understood that workers and MGM have successfully negotiated contract terms that would protect immigrant workers who have temporary protected status or Dreamer visas.

MGM operates ten casino resorts across Las Vegas, with those being ARIA, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, New York-New York, Circus Circus, Luxor, Excalibur, MGM Grand, Bellagio, and Park MGM. The new contract, if approved by a majority at the upcoming Tuesday vote, will cover 24,000 unionised employees at the major gaming and hospitality company.

The contract will apply retroactively from June 1, as workers’ previous contracts expired on May 31. Last month, a citywide workers’ vote authorised the unions they were represented by to call a strike in case no agreements were reached with the city’s casino resort operators. Unions are now negotiating new contracts with smaller companies that own around 15 properties both on the Las Vegas Strip and in the city’s downtown.

Source: CasinoNewsDaily