The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and its affiliated Bartenders Local 165 on Monday announced a strike deadline of Feb. 2 at 5 a.m. for 21 properties on the Strip and downtown Las Vegas covering about 7,700 hospitality workers still in contract negotiations. 

The strike date is nine days before Las Vegas is scheduled to host Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium.

The strike deadline comes after Culinary and the “big three” Strip hotel companies — MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Las Vegas — came to an agreement for five-year contracts in November that included 32 percent salary increases. The Culinary said in a statement that workers in the remaining properties on the Strip and downtown are asking for the same wage increases, benefits and job protections amid the adoption of new technology and workload reductions.

Contract negotiations are set to continue for the next few weeks, but if an agreement for a new contract is not reached by the deadline, then strikes would be called, the Culinary announcement said. Properties include Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, Rio Hotel and Casino, Sahara Las Vegas, Virgin Hotels, Circa Resort and Casino, Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel, and Golden Gate Hotel and Casino. 

For many of the properties, a strike would mark a historic first time that workers at those properties have walked off the job.

According to the Culinary, contracts for the properties expired on June 1, 2023, and all contract extensions have ended so strikes could occur anytime between now and the Feb. 2 deadline.

Shortly before Christmas, the Culinary and Bartenders agreed on new five-year contracts with two properties unaffiliated with the three major companies — Tropicana Las Vegas and The Mirage — covering roughly 2,000 workers.

“No one wants to strike, but workers are serious and will strike if they have to and the Culinary Union has their back every step of the way,” Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said in the statement.