“People shouldn’t have to work two jobs to support their family,” Esmeralda Avila, pantry worker and culinary union member, commented as she walked the picket line in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall on Thursday, February 16. “We’re here for ‘one person, one job’ and fair wages,” she continued. With worker attrition post-pandemic, Culinary Union members working for Sodexo/Centerplate at the Las Vegas Convention Center have been working harder than before the pandemic to fill the gap. Coupled with inflation, that makes the current negotiations the union is having with Sodexo particularly important.
To emphasize that importance, the union called for a picket of LVCC between 10am and 11am. Picketers marched along Paradise north of Desert Inn as well as in front of the LVCC entrance. “A couple hundred,” Bethany Khan, a representative of the union said when asked about the number of picketers. “We voted to authorize a strike because these negotiations are important,” as they occur before contract negotiations with other properties on the Strip. “We hope Sodexo steps up and does the right thing,” she said. With fiscal year 2022 doing better than 2019, the union makes a point of calling for higher wages as workers feel left behind post-COVID. Khan noted the negotiations are ongoing with more meetings upcoming, so no strike has been called yet.
“We encourage Sodexo Live! and the Culinary Union to resolve their contract negotiations,” the LVCVA replied when contacted.
