Hospitality Workers Begin Strike at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas

Posted on: November 15, 2024, 07:26h. 

Last updated on: November 15, 2024, 09:12h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Several hundred Culinary Union members reportedly walked off the job Friday morning at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Ted Pappageorge
Ted Pappageorge, pictured above. The Culinary Union secretary-treasurer said workers aren’t getting acceptable offers from the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas so they went out on strike. (Image: X)

The Las Vegas strike began at 5 a.m. PT on Friday after labor and management failed to reach an agreement, the union said. Picket lines are scheduled around the clock at the off-Strip property.

The strike comes about a week before the typically well-attended Formula 1 Las Vegas. The auto race will take place between November 21 and November 23.

The union asked customers not to enter the property during the strike, to cancel reservations, check out of the property, and to eat elsewhere, according to a Culinary Union statement.

The estimated 700 striking workers have been working without a contract since June 1, 2023. They include guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and kitchen workers.

The work action represents the first open-ended strike in over 22 years by the Culinary Union.

Management Proposal is an Insult

The union is seeking a five-year agreement for the workers.

“Workers are fighting for a new contract that secures a better future for their families,” Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union, said in the statement.

The Virgin Las Vegas’ proposal is miles apart and is an insult to every worker – which is why the committee voted unanimously to refuse to settle for a second-class contract,” he added. “Workers at Virgin Las Vegas deserve a first-class contract with fair wage increases.”

In addition, the union is seeking reduced workload, safety improvements, protections from technology implementation, and improved job security.

Elsewhere on the Las Vegas Strip, or in Las Vegas, the union has gotten most of its workers a 10% wage increase in the first year of a contract with a total salary increase of 32% over five years. Strikes were threatened at many properties before the agreements were reached.

Prior Work Action

The Culinary Union has conducted prior work actions against the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. In August, 23 workers and union leaders were arrested as they picketed at the property.

The nonviolent civil disobedience began on Harmon Avenue before demonstrators sat down in the hotel’s porte-cochere, an entrance that’s used by vehicles. In May, the Culinary Union organized a two-day strike against Virgin Las Vegas.

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 are Nevada affiliates of the national Unite Here union.

Management Responds

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is owned by JC Hospitality, LLC and other entities. In May, management at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas accused the union of not negotiating in good faith. The company also filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against the union.

On Thursday night, the property released a statement to Casino.org that said in part, the union was not engaging in “meaningful bargaining.”

During negotiations, management said it had “proposed bringing forward a portion of the wage increase that was previously proposed for years four and five so that there are no longer zero increases in the first three years.”

But the union had an “unconstructive approach and bad-faith bargaining,” management claimed.

“Our dedication to our team members’ well-being and achieving sustainable performance at our property remains steadfast, and we are fully committed to finding a fair resolution that is in their best interest,” the statement added.