THOUSANDS of food workers were due to rally outside Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena last night in a warning that they are ready to strike for higher pay.

The Culinary Workers Union, which represents 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno, says contract negotiations with Levy Premium Food Service have lasted a year and workers want to ensure that “one job is enough to provide for their families.”

A fortnight ago, members voted by 97 per cent in favour of strike action if a contract isn’t agreed soon. The workers have staged protests on Las Vegas’s tourist strip before, including a demonstration in June under the slogan One Job Should Be Enough.

Though Levy, which provides food and drink services at large venues across the United States, said it was disappointed by the decision to stage a protest and it was “committed to working diligently with the union to reach a fair agreement that shows our team members how much we value them,” the union called on the company to take the strike threat seriously and said that members were already busy making placards and signing up for picket line duty.

The dispute follows strikes by thousands of hospitality workers organised by Unite Here Local 11 in California that began last month. The union has announced a “hot labour summer” in Los Angeles, with rolling strikes continuing in the second-biggest US city. 

Thousands walked off the job last Thursday and Friday, forcing the closure of 28 hotels, to press demands that include pay rises but include more unusual features, such as a proposed 7 per cent surcharge on hotel stays and meals to fund an affordable housing programme in the city.