LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On Wednesday morning, the Culinary Union announced it had reached a "tentative contract agreement" with Caesars Entertainment after months of negotiating.
Union leadership shared that one of the most difficult negotiations was resuming daily room cleanings.
“When customers started coming back to Las Vegas, they didn’t bring back enough workers. Many companies decided that they were going to charge higher and higher rates for rooms but weren’t going to provide daily room cleaning. That issue is a job issue for us but it’s also a safety issue,” said Ted Pappageorge, the Culinary Union’s secretary-treasurer.
Pappageorge explained that legislative democrats eliminated the law requiring everyday room cleaning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was exacerbated because we had legislation, state legislation, requiring daily room cleaning, but some of our state politicians turned their back on these workers,” Pappageorge said.
As a result, the workload changed drastically, with fewer people working in housekeeping and fewer guests requesting the services.
“We’re overworked, we’re cleaning 13 rooms a day out there,” said Jennifer Black, who works at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.
Pappageorge said the hope is that bringing back the daily requirement to clean guest rooms will help make the job easier for the thousands who do it daily.
WHAT'S NEXT: Culinary Union inching closer to deals with MGM, Wynn Resorts as strike deadline looms
The Culinary Union is currently negotiating with MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts. Union leaders say they are pushing for daily room cleanings in those conversations, and if they can’t reach an agreement, say those employees will go on strike beginning on Friday.
