Culinary Union, Palms Las Vegas Casino Reach 3-Year Union Contract

Days after requesting artists to cease working with Stations Casino, the Culinary Union in Nevada has a new union contract with the Palms Casino Resort.

The union, comprised of Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, announced the contract, benefiting over 900 employees in the Nevada casino industry. 

Culinary Union inks 3-year contract

In a Culinary Workers Union press release, the union said the new 3-year contract will protect workers with union health care benefits while providing fair wages and job security.

In a statement, Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, said:

“The San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority and
Palms Casino Resort have done the right thing by respecting their employees and recalling workers back to work with their seniority intact.

The Culinary Union is proud to have reached an agreement for a strong union contract at Palms, which protects workers with the union standard we have fought to build and strengthen over 88 years. Congratulations to the workers on your new union contract, and welcome to the union family!”

The contract protects approximately 900 Nevada casino employees, including:

• Guest room attendants
• Cocktail and food servers
• Porters
• Bellmen
• Cooks
• Bartenders
• Stewards

Las Vegas casino employees happy after a five-year wait

Lydia Martin, a banquet food server at Palms for over 2 decades, said she was thrilled the contract could get done after a five-year wait. 

“As a day 1 employee, I am getting older, and I have already invested 21 years into this company, so being able to win great health insurance and job security until I’m ready to retire is a relief.

I am glad that the Culinary Union got the Right to Return law passed to grant us recall rights after the pandemic and that the company did the right thing for us workers. I’m so happy that we now have a contract and the protection it brings.”

In 2018, Palms workers voted to unionize with the Culinary and Bartenders Unions by 84% majority while under its previous operator, Stations Casinos. 

When Las Vegas casinos were allowed to reopen, Palms actively recalled workers employed at the property at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic closure. The casino worked with the union’s Culinary Academy of Las Vegas to host job fairs to fill the remaining roles.

Stations Casinos is working through a lawsuit following an unfair labor practice complaint issued by the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) General Counsel.