Culinary Union Workers at T-Mobile Arena to March on Las Vegas Strip

Posted on: August 9, 2023, 01:17h. 

Last updated on: August 9, 2023, 01:41h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas.

Las Vegas’ powerful Culinary Union says it expects thousands of its employees and their supporters to join a march down the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, August 10 at 5:30 p.m.

Culinary workers march down two lanes of the Las Vegas Strip on June 29, 2023. (Image: Culinary Union)

About 200 cocktail and banquet servers, dishwashers, cooks, and bartenders who work at T-Mobile Arena for Levy Premium Food Service, have been pushing for a union contract since September 2022. Levy is a Chicago-based provider of culinary services to 200 sports and entertainment venues.

On July 26, 2023, 97% of those workers voted to authorize a strike because their jobs aren’t enough to keep up with the cost of living, according to a press release from the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165.

No date has been set for the strike since negotiations with Levy are ongoing, the Culinary Union says.

T-Mobile Arena opened in 2016 between the New York-New York and Park MGM resorts as a partnership between MGM Resorts and concert promoter AEG Live. The venue is home to the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team and dozens of concerts each year. (Image: T-Mobile Arena)

The march will begin at the corner of Park Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, near the T-Mobile Arena. It will head north down two lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard. A brief rally will be held where the march concludes at the Strip’s intersection with Paris Drive near the Bellagio fountains.

Though there’s no event booked for T-Mobile that night, according to the unions, “heavy traffic delays are anticipated.”

“Workers are negotiating for fair wage increases, health care and pension benefit protections, seniority, opportunity to work in other venues, faster resolution to grievances, and so that one job is enough to provide for their families,” the press release said.

This will be the Culinary Union’s second march for its workers at Levy. The first was on June 29.

Speakers at the rally will include Culinary Union president Diana Valles and Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge.

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 represent 60K workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas.

Culinary Union members work as guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and laundry and kitchen workers.