The Culinary Union Local 226 announced that about 700 workers at a hotel-casino near the Las Vegas Strip went on strike after months of failed negotiations for a new five-year contract with Virgin Hotels. This marks the union’s first strike in 22 years and comes after they authorized a citywide strike late last year. The union had reached agreements with other major hotel-casinos on the Strip covering 40,000 workers before the end of the year, as well as with most downtown and off-Strip properties covering another 10,000 workers in early February. Workers such as guest room attendants, cocktail servers, and kitchen staff were seen walking picket lines outside Virgin Hotels.
Virgin Hotels filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing the union of failing to negotiate in good faith. The hotel claimed that despite their efforts to negotiate, the union engaged in unlawful bargaining tactics. Virgin Hotels requested for mediation with the union to avoid disrupting guests and employees with a work stoppage. Although not on the same scale as previous strikes, the strike at Virgin Hotels is significant due to its location near the Strip. The last time the Culinary Union went on strike was in 2002 at the Golden Gate hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas.
Earlier this year, union members at other Las Vegas properties received deals with significant salary increases over five years. The Culinary Union had called off a strike deadline at Virgin Hotels in February, but with no progress in negotiations, they decided to go ahead with the 48-hour strike. The union is seeking wage and benefit increases for the workers, who have been without a contract since June 1, 2023. The union’s secretary-treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, dismissed the hotel’s complaint to the NLRB as a company stunt and expressed hope that the strike would expedite a new agreement.
The strike at Virgin Hotels is expected to cause disruptions, especially for guests and employees, as workers demand fair wages and benefits. The union has been negotiating with the hotel for months without reaching a new contract agreement. While the strike is limited to Virgin Hotels for now, it could have implications for other hotels in the area. The timing of the strike comes after the union successfully reached agreements with other major hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, highlighting the importance of fair labor practices in the hospitality industry.
Both the Culinary Union and Virgin Hotels are under pressure to come to a mutually beneficial agreement to end the strike and resume operations. The strike reflects ongoing labor tensions in the hospitality industry, particularly in Las Vegas, where unionized workers form a significant portion of the workforce. As the strike progresses, it remains to be seen how the negotiations will unfold and whether a resolution can be reached to address the workers’ demands. The outcome of this strike could set a precedent for future labor negotiations in the Las Vegas hospitality sector.
