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The possibility of 50 Bo Scarbrough Jersey ,000 Las Vegas casino workers going on strike drew closer Thursday, with their contracts expiring at midnight and the prospects of new ones still uncertain.

The bartenders, housekeepers, bellmen and other unionized workers at 34 casino-hotels on the Strip and downtown Las Vegas have been negotiating new five-year contracts since February.

But wages, workplace training and other issues have kept their union and employers from reaching agreements, pushing employees to authorize the first strike in more than 30 years at any time starting Friday.

Here’s a look at the negotiations and a possible strike:

TO STRIKE OR NOT TO STRIKE

Ninety-nine percent of about 25,000 workers voted last week to authorize a strike after contracts expire. No date has been set, but they have begun signing up for strike pay, financial assistance and picketing shifts.

The Culinary Union and companies that would be affected if workers walk off the job had bargaining sessions this week for five-year contracts.

Analysts with Deutsche Bank put the likelihood of a citywide strike ”as low” and said they believe negotiations could continue past Thursday.

”Recall, in 2013, the Culinary Union remained in negotiations with some Strip operators for several months post the June 2013 contract expiration,” they wrote in a research note Wednesday. ”Business during this time was uninterrupted.”

The last citywide strike was in 1984, costing the city and workers millions of dollars.

ROOMS James Bradberry Jersey , KITCHENS AND LUGGAGE

The strike would mean no bartenders, housekeepers, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks and other kitchen workers at properties including Bellagio, Aria, Caesars Palace, Flamingo Las Vegas, Tropicana, Stratosphere, Golden Nugget and The D.

MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment operate more than half the properties that would be affected by a strike. Both companies have declined to provide details of their contingency plans.

The union and hospitality experts have said the companies would use replacement workers and try to bring some in from their properties outside Las Vegas.

Casino-resorts that would not be affected include Wynn Las Vegas, Encore Donte Jackson Jersey , The Venetian and Palazzo.

The strike could come as fans head to the tourist destination for the Stanley Cup Final. The union for professional hockey players in the National Hockey League sent a letter to the Culinary Union on Wednesday expressing its support for the casino workers’ ”attempts to reach a fair and equitable agreement.”

”It is hoped that an accommodation can promptly be reached that will enable you to continue to provide the high level of service and professionalism that you have long exhibited,” National Hockey League Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr wrote.

WAGES

The average hourly wage of Las Vegas Strip workers is $23, including benefits such as premium-free health care, a pension and a 401(k) retirement savings plan, and $20,000 down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

The union says it has asked MGM for average annual wage increases of 4 percent for each of the next five years. It says the company has countered with an approximate 2.7 percent raise.

Caesars workers have asked for an increase of 4.2 percent effective Friday, and annual increases of about 4 percent thereafter. The union says the company has offered an approximate 2.8 percent increase for each of the five years.

”The companies are making millions and millions of dollars, they are growing and that’s excellent,” said Geoconda Arguello-Kline, union secretary-treasurer and a former housekeeper. ”We want them to share with the workers their success.”

Both companies have declined to provide details of their proposals but have said they are confident they will reach agreements with the union.

OTHER DISPUTES

The union said it is asking for training on new skills and job opportunities as the companies adopt technology that can displace employees. It also wants contract language that would protect workers if properties are sold.

The labor organization, the largest in Nevada, also has proposed to MGM and Caesars an independent study paid jointly with the union to analyze the workload of housekeepers.

The union has argued that hotel rooms have changed significantly, with new furniture and other amenities Pat McAfee Jersey , since 2002, when the last workload study was conducted.

”I wouldn’t be here today had not everybody gone out on strike in 1984 for those health benefits because I came down with a terminal illness,” said Deborah Jeffries, a cocktail server. ”It was very important to me that I had that, and it was well worth the walk for two and half months.

”We are ready and willing to do this again, not that we want it, but if need be, we will do it,” she said.

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Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Rick Brunson abruptly resigned Tuesday and the team said he had fallen short of meeting its ”high standards of conduct” amid reports he had acted improperly toward women.

The Timberwolves announced Brunson’s resignation in a one-sentence release and later sent a statement about the 45-year-old former NBA player.

”Our entire organization – made up of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Minnesota Lynx and Iowa Wolves- is deeply committed to creating a safe work environment for our employees, partners and fans,” the team said. ”We work to maintain high standards of conduct and expect our staff to lead by example. We did not believe Mr. Brunson’s conduct was consistent with those standards.”

The Star Tribune, citing a source it did not identify Nevin Lawson Jersey , reported Brunson had been the subject of complaints of improper conduct toward women. The Athletic also reported that he was accused of improper conduct toward women while on the job. The Timberwolves did not return phone calls seeking additional comment and the NBA did not respond to a message.

In 2014, Brunson was arrested in suburban Chicago and charged with sexually assaulting a massage therapist. He was acquitted of all counts in that case, saying he had an ongoing extramarital affair with the woman.

The Timberwolves hired Brunson in 2016, and last season was his fourth working under coach Tom Thibodeau, who helped the team reach the NBA playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Brunson had previous assistant coaching jobs with the Denver Nuggets, Charlotte and Chicago, where he worked under Thibodeau.

Brunson played in the NBA for nine years, including stops in New York and Houston. He made it to the playoffs in five of his nine seasons, and was a member of the 1999 Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks, who lost to San Antonio in the finals.

Brunson is the father of Jalen Brunson, The Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year who declared for the NBA draft last month after winning two national titles at Villanova. The star guard averaged 18.9 points and 4.6 assists per game in 40 games for the Wildcats this season.

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