U.S. labor secretary helps celebrate union contract at Las Vegas' Venetian

Standing in front of a sculpture spelling out the word “Love” in the Palazzo-Venetian waterfall atrium, Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su compared the Culinary Union Local 226’s first contract with the Venetian and Palazzo to a marriage.

“I’ve never known workers that are trying to organize a union because they don’t want to work with their employer,” Su said Thursday at a contract celebration. “They want the employer to do well, and that shared success is the ... future of the romance that you all solidified here today.”

Ted Pappageorge, the local’s secretary-treasurer, said it was a “new day” for workers at the Venetian and adjoining Palazzo. With 99% of workers voting to ratify the contract on Aug. 27, the Strip’s casinos are now 100% union.

Pappageorge praised the resort’s ownership that came in after the death of former owner Sheldon Adelson in 2021.

“In order for the Venetian to regain its position and be a preeminent destination resort in Las Vegas that it truly is, (the ownership team) has recognized that workers are the most valuable asset,” Pappageorge said.

Vici Properties in 2022 acquired the property, while Apollo Global Management bought its operations.

Patrick Nichols, who became the Venetian’s president and CEO in the same year, said it was time to “rethink” how employees’ voices were heard.

“This wasn’t just about adapting to change, it was about moving through it,” Nichols said. “We saw this as an opportunity to strengthen the trust we built with our team members and create a positive and productive relationship.”

The contract covers more than 4,000 people working in food, beverage and housekeeping, among other units, according to the union. It includes raising the average hourly wage from $26 to $35.

Su also noted that the contract gives workers a voice in how technology is adopted in the workplace and access to the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, which provides training to members as part of their union benefits.

“The workers who help to make this beautiful property a beautiful place to be are going to be able to afford the things that make life secure,” Su said. “(They) are not going to have to make tough choices between affording medication or food or rent.”

Carmen Vargas, a member of the negotiating committee and an employee at the Venetian, highlighted the card check neutrality agreement that made unionization feasible. Under the agreement, an employer pledges to not interfere with whatever decision its employees reach.

“I remember the last day of the negotiation. We stayed here in the Venetian close to 22 hours to reach the final agreement,” Vargas said. “We are all tired, but we know that we are fighting for ourselves and a better future for our own family.”

For a first contract, negotiations between the union and ownership were swift, with a tentative agreement reached a little over a year after the neutrality agreement, Su said.

After the ceremony, Pappageorge called out Station Casinos for not signing a similar card check neutrality agreement.

“This was a long time coming here at the Venetian,” he said. “But, I can tell you ... Station Casinos should be feeling pretty lonely right now.”