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Caesars Palace dealers ratify first union contract

Caesars Palace is seen on Jan. 14, 2010.

Caesars Palace casino dealers have ratified their first collective bargaining deal, giving the Transport Workers Union its second contract on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Caesars contract, representing more than 500 dealers, was approved Thursday by a 235-29 vote among dealers participating in the election, according to an announcement on a TWU Facebook page.

Approval of the contract was expected after union and casino management agreed to it.

In a statement Friday, the TWU hailed the contract for guaranteeing continuation of Caesars-paid health care benefits and for providing job security and seniority rights.

A key issue for the dealers — whether Caesars can force them to share tips with managers — was resolved when negotiators limited the casino’s ability to take tips from the dealers.

The tip-sharing policy at Wynn Las Vegas has been challenged by dealers and is now the subject of a fight at the Nevada Supreme Court.

“We achieved the workplace protections and professional standards that casino dealers were looking for when they organized a union in the first place,” TWU Gaming Director Joe Carbon said in a statement about the Caesars’ ratification vote. “We won seniority rights; there will be no more dismissal without due process. And we protected wages and health care for our members.”

Caesars hasn’t commented on the contract its negotiators agreed to.

The main casino union, the Culinary, does not represent dealers. That opened the door for the United Auto Workers union to represent dealers in some states and the TWU to now represent dealers at Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas.

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