The union wants to preserve free family-health coverage, a hallmark of Vegas labor contracts and an important benefit for the predominantly female, predominantly Latino work force. It is also trying to reduce work quotas that typically require maids to clean 15 to 17 rooms a day. “This number of rooms is too much, and the women can’t do it anymore,” says Glen Arnodo, political director for Local 226. “We figured this was the year to do something about it.”
Hoteliers say they’re optimistic a new agreement can be reached in time, and some scoff that the union is merely saber rattling. But no one is sure, and everyone recognizes that labor peace was a key component of Vegas’s recent boom years. The union, meanwhile, has started leafleting tourists, dampening the carefree mood of the glitzy Strip. “Management doesn’t like us going to tourists,” Arnodo says. “But we have to do what we have to do.”
