El Cortez agrees to terms with union workers; strike still possible at six downtown casinos

By John Taylor (contact)

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 | 6:59 a.m.

Another day of contract talks between negotiators for a downtown casino and the Culinary and Bartenders Unions has yielded another tentative work agreement ahead of a threatened employee walkout this weekend.

The Culinary and Bartenders Unions announced negotiators for the unions reached a tentative agreement with El Cortez. Culinary officials, in a news release posted today on the union's website, said the new 5-year contract was retroactive to June 1, 2013, when the last contract expired.

The settlement follows similar deals reached with three other downtown casinos: Golden Nugget, Fremont, and Main Street Station.

“We congratulate the workers at El Cortez on reaching a good contract settlement with the company,” Geoconda Arguello-Kline, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union, said in a statement. “Workers are the backbone of downtown Las Vegas and they deserve the opportunity to provide for their families through hard work under a fair contract.”

Culinary said about 1,200 more restaurant workers, hotel housekeepers, cocktail servers, bartenders and other members remained without contracts at six downtown casinos: The D, Four Queens, Binion’s, Plaza, Las Vegas Club and Golden Gate.

Members have authorized walking off the job and picketing around the clock at any of the downtown casinos with which they don't reach an agreement beginning at 5 a.m. Sunday.

Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165 represent more than 55,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas.