From the onset of bargaining,
Without it, Pappageorge said in one of many news conferences since April, “the jobs of tens of thousands of workers are in jeopardy of cutbacks and reduction.”
It was a message that Pappageorge and the workers would repeat for months as negotiations ramped up and the union threatened to go on strike if they didn't have contracts by first light on Friday with
But by dawn Friday, the union had secured tentative labor deals with all three companies, narrowly averting a sweeping strike at 18 hotel-casinos along the Strip. Agreements with
The proposed contracts need to be approved by the union's rank and file. Pappageorge said a vote will take place within the next two weeks.
In a statement,
President
“These workers understand better than just about anybody that a job is about more than just a paycheck.,” Biden said in a statement. “It’s about dignity. It’s about respect. Most importantly, it’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay.’”
Terms of the deals weren't immediately released, but the union says that the proposed five-year contracts will provide workers with historic wage increases, reduced workloads and other unprecedented wins — including mandated daily room cleanings.
Before the pandemic, daily room cleanings were routine. Hotel guests could expect fresh bedsheets and new towels by dinnertime if a “Do Not Disturb" sign wasn't hanging on their hotel room doors.
But as social distancing became commonplace in 2020, hotels began to cut back on the service.
More than three years later, the once industry-wide standard has yet to make a full comeback. Some companies say it's because there are environmental benefits to offering fewer room cleanings, like saving water.
A spokesman for
“What these companies have seen is that they’ve been able to reduce labor costs significantly if they can convince guests to reject or relinquish daily room cleaning,” Pappageorge has said while talking about the importance of protecting union jobs.
It's a fear that
During the pandemic, the hospitality industry learned how to “do more with less,” said
And that combination, he said, could be "pretty catastrophic” for the labor force.
“We want to make sure that we, as the workers, have a voice and a say in any new technology that is introduced at these casinos,” he said.
That includes technology already at play at some resorts: mobile check-in, automated valet tickets and robot bartenders.
Pappageorge, who led the negotiating teams that secured tentative deals this week with the casino giants, said a cut in daily room cleanings also poses health and safety concerns for the housekeepers who still had to reach a daily room quota.
A typical day on the job, she said, requires her to clean 13 rooms after guests have checked out. Each room takes between 30-45 minutes to clean, but rooms that haven’t been cleaned for a few days, she said, take more time to turn over.
“We're working through our lunch breaks to make it,” she said. “Our workload is far too much."
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