(LAS VEGAS, NEVADA) – The Culinary and Bartenders Unions and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, which includes The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort, have announced a tentative contract agreement on a new four-year deal - a first-time Union agreement that covers more than 4,000 Resort Team Members in the Food, Beverage, Housekeeping, Bar, Lounge and Bell Departments as the property officially becomes Unionized after 25 years.

The milestone Union contract at The Venetian Resort contains standard Union protections negotiated and won over the Culinary Union’s 89-year History: Health care benefits, owners and successorship, access to Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, Culinary and Bartenders Housing Fund, Culinary & Bartenders Legal Service Fund, Culinary Union Pension, and includes language on increased Worker security regarding sexual harassment, technology and immigration, and a choice regarding health care benefits.  

The agreement also secures the largest wage increases ever, workload reductions and daily room cleaning for Guest Room Attendants, safety protections for Workers on-the-job, recall rights and the right for Unionized Workers to support Non-Union Restaurant Workers seeking to Unionize through picketing, leafletting and other actions. 

A ratification vote will be scheduled soon with the newly Unionized Venetian Resort Housekeeping Team Members, Cocktail and Food Servers, Bus Persons, Banquet Team Members, Porters, Bellmen, Cooks, Bartenders and Kitchen Team Members.

Ted Pappageorge, who serves Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, said: “(The) tentative agreement on a new four-year Union contract with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is a testament to the power of Worker solidarity and determination.  The Workers at The Venetian Resort have now made history by Unionizing twenty-five-years after the property opened its doors.  This contract not only guarantees job security and fair wages, but it also upholds the standards the Culinary Union has fought to establish in Las Vegas.  We’ve always viewed time differently - this isn’t just about the here and now, it’s about building a legacy of fairness and dignity for Working Families in Las Vegas.  Culinary Union applauds The Venetian Resort for doing the right thing and for agreeing to protect their Employees with a strong Union contract.  The Venetian Resort becoming Union ensures that Las Vegas remains a place where Workers’ voices are heard, respected and protected.”

The tentative agreement for this first-time Culinary and Bartenders Union contract comes just over one year after the Culinary and Bartenders Unions entered into a Card-Check Neutrality Agreement with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 - Nevada Affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 Workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas.

UNITE HERE represents 300,000 Workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America. 

To Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: Culinary Union and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas agree on terms for first-time union contract | Culinary Union Local 226 (culinaryunion226.org)