Cristhian Barneond, a cook at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ casino buffet, wakes up at 6 a.m. every day and waits to see if the Cosmo will call him for work. But the casino needs him less and less as tourism slows down.
“If they don’t call by 8 a.m., that means no work,” he said.
Barneond, who is from Guatemala, has worked in Las Vegas’ casino industry for nine years and is also a shop steward for the powerful Culinary Union in the state. The middle-class job allowed him and his wife to purchase a home in the city.
To help pay the bills, Barneond took a second job at a clothing store at a mall for $13 an hour. But his hours at the store have dwindled too.
He is hunting for deals on groceries, selling extra stuff on Facebook, and pampering his three rescue dogs and one cat a little less.
“Everything is going backwards now,” he said.