Now, Pappageorge said the union has won a 32% pay increase for its members over five years, with workers receiving a 10% bump in pay during the first year of their new contract. The union said all the strikers returned to their jobs afterward with back pay and benefits. It became one of the longest strikes in U.S. “Nothing was promised or guaranteed, and thousands of workers who participated in rallies, protests, civil disobedience, picketing, surveys, picket sign making, strike vote, and delegations inside the properties sacrificed to win a better future for themselves and our families,' said Pappageorge, himself a former union hospitality worker who went on strike in 1991 with 500 other employees at the now-shuttered New Frontier Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas. He said they sacrificed their free time over seven months of negotiations to help secure historic pay raises and other major wins, including housekeeping workload reductions and improved job security amid advancements in technology.
In a statement, Ted Pappageorge, the union's chief negotiator, said the workers had been willing to take a cut in pay if the union had gone on strike.
