Although most eyes will be watching the issue of pay raises and benefit increases, Pappageorge spent time this week reminding people about the need for increased protections for the union’s legion of housekeepers, mostly women of color.
“Guest room attendants are the reason these massive gaming companies have record profits, but workers are also being left behind and we won’t stand for it,” he said in a statement about an industry often criticized for having too few women in positions of power at the top of the corporation. “The proposals on the table are strike issues and 95 percent of workers have already voted to authorize a strike. As the largest organization of women in Nevada, we will protect working women and we will do whatever it takes to win – including a strike against these companies if necessary.”
Casino industry leaders, whose enormous corporate footprints are found from Las Vegas to Macau, might have a hard time winning this public relations war. They’ll have to decide soon how hard they want this fight.
A strike on the Strip is one show you don’t want to watch.