How Formula One accidentally helped Las Vegas workers land the 'best contract ever'
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz of Spain drives past the Sphere during the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, November 18, 2023 on the Las Vegas Street Circuit in Las Vegas, NV.

When Formula One came to Las Vegas, it brought a level of glitz and glamor rivaled only by Monaco. It also seems to have inadvertently empowered tens of thousands of hospitality workers to secure better wages and benefits with the city's famous casinos.

Five days before the F1's opening ceremony on the Strip last Wednesday, the Culinary and Bartenders Union finished inking five-year contracts with MGM Resorts , Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts , which control 18 casinos in the heart of Sin City.

The pacts ended a months-long standoff and defused the threat of a mass worker strike timed to clash with race weekend, thus avoiding a nightmare scenario for casinos and hotels as thousands of tourists and high-rollers from across the world were arriving. Now, as they aim to ratify the last of the deals on Wednesday, union leaders are hailing it as "the best contract ever" for some 40,000 workers, touting the largest-ever wage hikes, new limits on workloads, recall rights and even labor protections from AI technology.

Ted Pappageorge, the Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer and chief negotiator for contracts, said the addition of a Formula One race this year gave workers "leverage" in the negotiations.

"That might have had some impact," he said — alongside the unity of his workers in striking if their demands weren't met.

"Las Vegas is now the sporting capital of the world, combined with the entertainment capital of the world. We support Formula One 100%," said Pappageorge. "We think all the largest events in the world belong in Las Vegas. But none of that matters if the company is not completely convinced that you're ready to strike. And when we were able to show that credible threat of a real strike, it worked."

Prior to the deal, union leaders crafted a strike pay plan and picket lines across the Strip. They encouraged Formula One ticket-holders to support workers by avoiding casinos or hotels mired in the labor standoff. They threatened the "largest hospitality worker strike in U.S. history," which risked crippling operations and leaving a bitter taste for the growing American fanbase that traveled to watch the world's fastest cars dash down the Strip at over 200 miles per hour — and throw down at their slot machines, bars and hotels.

One union organizer familiar with the talks told NBC News that the F1 race gave them "a lot of leverage" to extract concessions.