Las Vegas, NV – On May 23, 2025, the Culinary and Bartenders Unions announced a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with Resorts World Las Vegas. This agreement affects nearly 2,000 hospitality workers at the casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip.
The tentative contract includes significant wage increases, marking the largest in the Culinary Union’s 90-year history. It also secures comprehensive union contract language established over decades of organizing. This includes health care benefits through the Culinary Health Fund and access to other union services such as the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas and legal service funds. Workers are guaranteed a union pension, improved safety measures, and protections related to technology and immigration.
Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, stated: “We are proud to have won a terrific new union contract for workers at Resorts World Las Vegas. While the company is relatively new to the Las Vegas Strip, we’ve been able to build on long-standing relationships with individuals across the negotiations table – people we’ve bargained with for years.”
The contract is set to expire on September 30, 2028, aligning with other casino properties on the fully unionized Las Vegas Strip. Specific details of the agreement remain undisclosed until union members review them before voting on ratification.
Lucila Zamora, a guest room attendant at Resorts World Las Vegas for 13 years and member of the Culinary Union expressed her satisfaction: “I’m so happy because we won a new union contract that’s going to benefit us all with fair wage increases and more protections at work.”
Tania Morales, a casino porter and member for seven years shared her excitement: “I am so proud to walk into my next shift and tell my co-workers that we won the BEST contract EVER! This is a groundbreaking contract.”
Eric Cuomo, a bartender at Resorts World Las Vegas said: “This was a long negotiation… We got strong wage increases and real wins that matter.”
Negotiations led by these unions resulted in securing several worker protections including workload reductions for housekeeping staff and improved safety protocols. They also achieved advanced notification requirements when new technologies are introduced impacting jobs.
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 along with Bartenders Union Local 165 represents about 60,000 workers in Nevada under UNITE HERE which covers approximately 300,000 workers across North America in various industries.
The unions emphasize their role in healthcare provision through initiatives like The Citizenship Project which has helped thousands gain citizenship since its inception while representing diverse demographics within their membership base working across multiple roles within hospitality sectors statewide.
