MGM Workers in Las Vegas Ratify Deal Boosting Pay, Job Rights

Las Vegas hospitality workers have ratified a new labor agreement with MGM Resorts International, striking a deal that significantly raises wages and adds job protections for an industry still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pact between MGM and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 covers 20,000 workers at eight hotels and casinos including the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and the MGM Grand. It comes a day after 10,000 Caesars Entertainment Inc. workers approved a similar agreement. Five thousand more workers at Wynn Resorts Ltd. are scheduled to vote Wednesday.

Workers at both Caesars and MGM approved the contracts with 99% voting in favor, the union said.

The standoff in Las Vegas was the latest in a barrage of labor disputes that shook nearly every tier of the economy this summer and fall, from actors and writers in Hollywood to auto workers in Detroit. Workers felt newfound leverage from a tight labor market, with employers desperate to fill jobs amid higher corporate earnings as the economy rebounded from the pandemic.

The union reached tentative agreements with all three companies earlier this month, narrowly dodging a city-wide strike ahead of a Formula One auto race that was expected to generate nearly $1.3 billion for the local economy. Las Vegas is also scheduled to host the Super Bowl in February 2024, raking in another $500 million in estimated tourism revenue, analysts say.