Published on: December 23, 2024, 09:08 AM. 

Last updated on: December 23, 2024, 09:08 AM.

Workers at Citizens Kitchen & Bar in Las Vegas, located inside the MGM Resorts’ Mandalay Bay casino, voted to affiliate with the Culinary Union.

According to the Culinary Union, the vote took place on December 5 and had 82% approval from the approximately 130 workers, which include cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, and hosts.

Raymundo Lopez, a cook at Citizens, mentioned that he voted for the union to get health insurance for his family as his wife is pregnant.

Citizens is owned by SBE Entertainment Group.

Earlier this year, employees at various other restaurants in Las Vegas also chose to unionize, such as Eataly at Park MGM, Brooklyn Bowl, Gordon Ramsey Fish & Chips at the Linq Promenade, Café Belle at Paris Casino, and Starbucks at the Flamingo Casino.

Union Supports Restaurant Workers

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union, stated that restaurant workers on the Las Vegas Strip are coming together for fair wages, job security, benefits, and respect.

The Culinary Union is dedicated to organizing and empowering hospitality workers and encourages non-union restaurant workers to join the movement for a better future for themselves and their families.

The Culinary Union also recently reached a tentative agreement with the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, covering around 3,300 workers after 18 hours of negotiation. Workers will vote on the contract terms before they are finalized.

The agreement with Fontainebleau would be the first labor contract for its employees, as the property initially remained neutral on unionization.

Virgin Hotels Labor Dispute

At Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, a strike by Culinary Union-affiliated workers continues for better wages and working conditions, while the hotel management claims the union is not negotiating in good faith.

The hotel stated, “The Culinary Union has not seriously engaged with our proposals or brought the latest offer to their members for a vote.”