Las Vegas casino workers could walk off the job June 1

Las Vegas casinos could face a customer service nightmare this summer if unionized casino workers hit the picket lines.

This week, the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 announced that their roughly 50,000 members will hold a vote May 22 on whether to walk off the job anytime after midnight on May 31, when their current contract with local casino operators expires.

The workers occupy a variety of frontline roles – including housekeeping staff, cooks, kitchen staff, porters, bartenders, food and beverage servers, etc. – at 34 different Vegas properties, with MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment among those operators that would be most affected.

Suffice it to say, these workers’ absence – or their temporary replacement by scabs unfamiliar with the nuances of their duties – would be noticed by the throngs of demanding tourists who descend on Vegas during the busy summer season.