Wynn Las Vegas Table Game Dealers Join UAW Union, Reach Three-Year Contract

Posted on: September 2, 2021, 10:48h. 

Last updated on: September 2, 2021, 02:33h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Wynn Las Vegas table game dealers who work full-time have officially become members of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) labor union.

Wynn Las Vegas table game dealer
Wynn Las Vegas, seen above. Wynn’s table game dealers have a new union deal, and it prevents them from sharing their hard-earned tips. The workers have united with the UAW, a leading national labor union. (Image: Getty)

Kanie Kastroll, spokesperson for the Wynn Las Vegas table game dealers, has revealed that her colleagues voted heavily in favor to join the UAW. No total vote count was released, but Kastroll said 96 percent backed joining the union.

The table game employees ratified a three-year contract with the UAW that comes with numerous job assurances. Most importantly, over the next 36 months, Wynn dealers cannot be forced to share their tips with management or any other Wynn Las Vegas worker.

The stipulation is of paramount importance to many veteran Wynn table dealers. In March, Wynn Resorts agreed to settle a 15-year legal battle with current and former table game dealers over tip disputes.

Wynn Resorts founder Steve Wynn implemented a policy in 2006 requiring that table game dealers share 12 percent of their tips with their pit supervisors and immediate management. Dealers filed lawsuits in federal courts in 2013 and 2018 seeking to recoup those monies.

The Strip casino operator agreed to pay out $5.6 million in lost tips to dealers, which equated to about $4,200 each.

Wheeling and Dealing

The UAW has in recent years greatly expanded outside of its namesake industries. Today, about 40 percent of its membership works in industries other than auto, air, rail, and agriculture.

The gaming industry is one component of the 40 percent. Through the UAW Gaming Union, the group fights on behalf of casino workers in several markets, including Nevada, Maryland, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Combined, the UAW Gaming Union represents roughly 10,000 gaming industry professionals.

The UAW table dealer contract with Wynn Resorts applies only to workers at Wynn Las Vegas, not Encore. Kastroll told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the three-year contract will allow those represented to pursue future contract amendments in a more expeditious manner.

Typically, casino union contracts in Las Vegas run five to 10 years. Wynn Las Vegas and Encore employees engaged in non-gaming roles, such as housekeepers and food and beverage staff, are represented by the Culinary Union.

Breaks Outlined Under Contract Terms

Along with guaranteeing Wynn Las Vegas table game dealers that they will keep all the tips they receive, the UAW bargaining agreement with Wynn Resorts shortens dealers’ shifts.

Under the new terms, each table game dealer will work for an hour straight before being afforded a 20-minute break. Previously, such workers stood and dealt cards for 80 consecutive minutes before their 20-minute relief.

In Las Vegas, other casinos with UAW representation include Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, Harrah’s, Flamingo, and Bally’s.