Union workers reach agreement with two more downtown casinos as strike date nears

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Published Tuesday, May 27, 2014 | 7:47 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, May 27, 2014 | 9:33 a.m.

With a threatened strike by union workers scheduled to begin Sunday, two more downtown casinos have reached a tentative agreement in contract talks.

The Culinary and Bartenders Unions announced negotiators for the unions have reached a tentative agreement with Boyd Gaming for new 5-year contracts with the Fremont and Main Street Station casinos.

The settlement follows the terms of the new Golden Nugget contract, which workers ratified May 1.

The agreement, union leaders say, protects union healthcare benefits, improves housekeeping working conditions and brings laid-off workers back to work.

“We are pleased to have a tentative agreement with the Fremont and Main Street Station,” Geoconda Arguello-Kline, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union said in a statement posted on the Culinary Union's website. “Boyd has shown that they respect their employees and are invested in their workforce. We hope that the other Downtown casinos follow the example of Boyd and Golden Nugget as we negotiate with them over the next couple of days.”

Today's announcement leaves seven major downtown casinos without contracts with their union workers: The D, Four Queens, Binion’s, Plaza, Las Vegas Club, El Cortez, and Golden Gate.

Culinary and Bartenders Unions say those properties' restaurant workers, hotel housekeepers, cocktail servers, bartenders, and other union members will walk off their jobs and start around-the-clock picketing of the seven casinos until contracts are reached.

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.