Next weekend’s huge Las Vegas Grand Prix is at risk of being impacted by potentially one of the biggest hospitality worker strikes in the history of the United States, with time running out for an acceptable contract to be put on the table for those preparing to take action.
According to NPR, 35,000 members of the Culinary and Bartenders Union could go on strike, starting from November 10.
Those considering taking action are currently employed by hotels and major casinos in Las Vegas, all of which will be full of Formula 1 fans in just a matter of days.
The issue appears to be specifically with the workers employed by MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts, with contract negotiations having been ongoing for seven months.
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None of the employers have been prepared to comment on the matter, although the workers have reportedly been offered a “historic” proposal.
This seemingly isn’t enough with them believing that they deserve “record contracts”.
“Their current proposal on the table is historic, but it’s not enough, and workers deserve to have record contracts,” said union secretary-treasurer Ted Pappageorge, as reported by Grandprix.com.
Given that strikes could get underway just six days before F1 arrives, the Union has urged fans attending the race not to get in the way of the potential disruption.
It’s certainly not what F1 will be wanting to deal with ahead of the sport’s first trip to Las Vegas since 1982, especially as the series is promoting the event itself.
F1 are yet to comment on the matter, seemingly in the hope that it can be resolved.
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The sport’s return to Las Vegas is highly anticipated given the amount of effort which has gone into the event, whilst F1 has also put in an incredible amount of work to advertise it, in many ways more than any race has been advertised before.
Drivers are very excited to be racing down the famous ‘Vegas strip’, with the race also set to become the first since the 1985 South African Grand Prix to take place on a Saturday.
Whilst the race will start at 6am next Sunday morning in the UK, it’ll actually be 10pm on the Saturday night in Sin City.