LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Culinary Union leaders are gearing up to meet with Caesars Entertainment for yet another round of bargaining.
This will be the first bargaining session since dozens of members were detained and cited at Wednesday's rally and "civil disobedience" that shut down parts of the Strip. I was on scene at the rally, speaking to multiple union members.
A strike deadline could be set within the coming weeks.
"They do not want to sign a contract to give us the money that we deserve," said Cristhian Barneond, a cook at Paris Las Vegas.
It was the culinary union's latest attempt at sending a message.
"We are asking for money, and they said no," Barneond said. "We are pissed off. When I see all these people out here, it is giving me more hope."
Wednesday's rally turned into dozens of union members participating in a non-violent resistance or "civil disobedience" — sitting in traffic lanes on the Strip blocking rush-hour traffic.
BACKGROUND: Culinary Union plans 'civil disobedience' on Las Vegas Strip as labor dispute drags on
Metro police say 58 people were detained, cited and released.
"The goal is to make sure these companies understand 95 percent of the workers voted to authorize a strike," said Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the culinary union. "We have been patient, and we have been bargaining for six months. We are being patient, but our patience is at an end."
The union is negotiating with the three major resort companies and campaigning to unionize 10,000 non-union restaurant workers.
"We have got a massive explosion of non-union restaurants, Alexxa's Las Vegas and Mon Ami Gabi," he said. "And the union restaurants, they have been shrinking our workers. They need job security. We are proposing language that if these workers decide to strike, our members have the right to support their picket line. It's all about our ability to sustain density."
The union met with MGM Resorts Int. Monday.
HOW IT WENT: Negotiations between Las Vegas Culinary Union and MGM Resorts 'did not go well,' leadership says
"With wages and benefits, MGM Resorts made some significant movement on wages and benefits and economics, we are still apart," he said. "If we don't get that figured out, we will have a strike issue on economics."
Next, the union is set to meet with Caesars Entertainment on Friday and Wynn Resorts on Monday.
Pappageorge said if no agreement is reached, he estimates a strike deadline will be set before Formula 1 weekend in three weeks. A deadline could be set with individual companies.
"Then they start seeing record profits," Barneond said. "On the top of our backs."
Barneond says the demonstration will hopefully show their seriousness about a possible strike within weeks.
"Let's see what happens in this town. We got F1. They got the Super Bowl LVIII coming," he said. "Who is going to make the beds? Who is going to cook for all these customers? You see, all these people, they got everything booked up here. What are they going to do without us?"
