Tropicana, Mirage Hospitality Workers Reach Tentative Contracts

Posted on: December 15, 2023, 11:46h. 

Last updated on: December 15, 2023, 08:39h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

This week, unionized employees at The Tropicana Las Vegas and The Mirage gave their initial backing for five-year labor agreements.

Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge
Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge, pictured above. The union reached tentative agreements with two more Las Vegas properties. (Image: Getty)

Once approved, the contracts will cover some 2,000 members of the Culinary Union, the union announced on Wednesday. Some 1,700 of the employees work at The Mirage, and about 300 are employed at The Tropicana.

The union announced on X that the deal is the “best contract ever.”

When hearing about the agreement, Marcus Lucas, a utility porter at The Mirage, said in a union statement, “I’m mostly excited for the housekeepers. We got some great language … we done it. One job is absolutely enough.”

Additional details on the agreement weren’t immediately provided.

Hard Rock, Tropicana Update

The Mirage is in the process of being rebranded as a Hard Rock property. Management at The Mirage was happy about the tentative contract.

The Tropicana Las Vegas casino hotel is slated to be demolished despite the contract. Demolition could happen as soon as late 2024 or in 2025. That’s if the Oakland Athletics (A’s) baseball team proceeds with their move to Las Vegas.

In addition to the deals with the Mirage and the Tropicana, unionized workers at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas recently approved a tentative agreement.

Other Strikes Continue

Some two dozen other Nevada properties remain in negotiations with the Culinary Union. If negotiations fail to produce a satisfactory agreement for some 10K employees, a strike is possible, union officials have warned.

Last month, Culinary Union members avoided a threatened strike after they reached agreements with MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts. Those contracts govern some 40K workers.

The agreements for Wynn, MGM, and Caesars will lead to a 10% salary increase for hospitality workers in the first year of the new deal, according to the Culinary Union. They will earn a cumulative 32% increase over the contract.

Last month, Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said he wants to see the same economic package reached for the three large companies to apply to contracts for other properties on the Las Vegas Strip.

The union is also advocating for the same wage increases for employees at Las Vegas’ downtown properties. Downtown properties traditionally have paid less to workers than hotels and casinos on the Strip.