Sin City uncertainty — workers may strike
Members of the Culinary Union in Las Vegas voted last week to authorize a strike at any time starting Friday. If the union’s 50,000 workers do walk out, visitors may experience what experts are calling “crippling disruption” in a town that relies heavily on food and drink.
The union represents bartenders, guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks and kitchen workers at 34 casino-resorts around town. While those casinos would probably not close, restaurants and food service within those properties could shut down, at least temporarily.
A full walkout, however, is highly unlikely, according to Stephen Miller, director for the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNLV, at a time when the city is the focus of attention during the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals and the World Series of Poker.
“Las Vegas is Stanley Cup crazy at the moment. A strike or walkout would be bad for business,” Miller said. “It is in no one’s interest to do so.”
However, experts say travelers with plans and reservations in Las Vegas, or who might be considering a trip, should hope for the best, prepare for the worst and be flexible.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering going to Vegas in the next week or two.
If you have to go: Try to delay your trip until after the first 24 to 48 hours of when the strike could take place, said Henry Hardeveldt, a travel industry analyst with Atmosphere Research in San Francisco. “Because that’s when things will be at their least certain, and when a strike is most likely to take place.”
Consider all the offerings:. “The thing about Vegas is there are so many options; as long as you have a place to stay, there are 70 or 80 casinos, and you can go to places that aren’t part of the strike,” said
Anthony Curtis, publisher of Las Vegas Advisor magazine. “If it’s not so good where you’re staying, you can just go down the road a bit.”
Some of the properties that would not be directly affected by a walkout are Vdara and Aria Las Vegas, the Cosmopolitan, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, and the Rio hotel and casino.
Consider a home-share: If you don’t already have a hotel reservation, or you can cancel the one you have, Hardeveldt suggests looking at vacationrental sites such as VRBO or Airbnb. “Staying in a homeshare, if it’s available, gets you away from a resort and the picket lines.”
Consider the costs: Hotels affected by a strike will almost certainly offer refunds, but other arrangements might not be that flexible, including tickets for shows, reservations for one-time events and, of course, flights. “The airlines may not be so forgiving if you’re flying to Las Vegas. The airlines would say this isn’t their problem,” Hardeveldt said.
Confirm private events: “If the strike affects banquet business, that could have an even larger impact,” Hardeveldt said. “Everything from a small meeting of 10 to a small wedding to a massive conference” could be disrupted.
Give it time: If you have flexibility with your booked trip, or if you haven’t booked yet, wait at least a week into when a strike could happen before making plans, and pay close attention to the news. If you have to go, prepare for disruption.