Will a Las Vegas Convention Center Strike Impact CES?

Concerns surround a threat of a possible strike by food service workers at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and Covid as the world’s largest tech show prepares to open its doors to over 100,000 attendees on January 5.

At the LVCC, members of the Sodexo/Centerplate culinary union voted unanimously to authorize a strike at the beginning of December. 300 employees who say their jobs don’t pay enough to keep up with the cost of living are impacted by this.

The impact of a strike on other unions, which are more likely to adhere to the picket line and not cross it, could be disastrous.

A spokesperson for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES, stated, “As with many elements of event planning, we have contingencies in place.”

Sodexo emphasizes that a strike has not been called and that Unite Here’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations typically include a vote on a strike.

Another issue is that, starting on the first day of the show, the US government will require that all passengers coming from China, Hong Kong, and Macau take a negative Covid test before boarding a plane to the US. Consequently, visitors from these regions will have to go through a different procedure onsite to obtain their badge.

According to the CDC, China’s zero-COVID policy and draconian COVID-19 lockdowns have resulted in an unprecedented increase in Omicron-offshoot variant cases.

Free Covid-19 antigen tests will be available at the convention center, as stated on the CES Covid policy FAQ page.