Following months of negotiations, union workers in Las Vegas have ratified a new contract with MGM Resorts International, the company announced last week.
The agreement — which passed with more than 97 percent approval from participating members of Culinary Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 — lasts five years and covers more than 21,000 employees at Aria, Bellagio, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo and New York-New York. It accomplishes three things:
• It allows workers to keep their current health benefits;
• It paves the way for closed F&B outlets to be reopened, allowing employees laid off during the recession to return to work; and
• It increases job safety for housekeeping employees.
“Both sides have crafted an agreement that, despite difficult economic times, addresses the needs of union workers and their families as well as those of the company,” MGM Resorts Chief Operating Officer Corey Sanders said in a statement. “Our aim has always been to negotiate an agreement that works for everyone; one that will allow everyone to provide and to succeed. We believe that’s what the unions and the company have achieved here: a smart contract, one that charts our company’s future growth with the unions.”
MGM Resorts is the first Las Vegas Strip company to reach an agreement with union workers since labor contracts expired citywide on June 1.
“MGM has taken a leadership position in the industry, forging a strong partnership for the future of both the company and the unions,” said Local 226 Secretary-Treasurer Geoconda Arguello-Kline. “Ultimately, the members had to make the decision. Today, they voted to secure the opportunity to provide for their families, something every worker deserves.”
For a recap of last week's top stories, check out MeetingNews Minute:
> Watch More Videos