Tentative deal is close with Las Vegas hotel workers union amid strike threat, says MGM's CEO

abcnews.go.com:

The CEO of MGM Resorts International said in an earnings call that he believed contract negotiations underway Wednesday would lead to a tentative agreement with the Culinary Workers Union

LAS VEGAS — Following a breakthrough deal at dawn Wednesday between the Las Vegas hotel workers union and Caesars Entertainment, a tentative contract was taking shape for 20,000 hospitality workers at rival MGM Resorts International that experts say would almost certainly thwart an unprecedented strike on the Las Vegas Strip.

“I believe we will come to a deal today. We know from listening to our employees that they are looking for a pay increase to combat inflation, among other concerns,” MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle told investors in an earnings call at the same time negotiations were taking place in a casino ballroom. “This deal, when announced, will do just that."

The Culinary Workers Union had threatened to begin a strike in the pre-dawn hours Friday if negotiations failed.

But the union's tentative agreement with Caesars appeared to be providing the momentum needed for the union to win new contracts for all 35,000 of its members who have been working under expired contracts at 18 hotel-casinos.

“As soon as one company reaches a deal, the others just fall right in line,” said Bill Werner, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, whose research includes hospitality law and labor relations. But, he said, “I would say this is as close as we’ve come in a long time to an actual strike.”

The breakthrough pact with Caesars came after 20 straight hours of bargaining that began Tuesday and stretched into Wednesday morning, the union said.

Caesars said in a statement that the agreement “recognizes the integral