Culinary Union workers picket outside of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas during a 48-hour strike on Friday, May 10, 2024.
Friday, May 10, 2024 | 10 a.m.
More than 100 workers picketed outside Virgin Hotels this morning for higher wages as the Culinary Union staged its first strike in Las Vegas in 22 years.
“No contract, no peace,” the workers chanted as they rallied outside the resort-casino on Paradise Road, just east of the Strip.
After five months of negotiations, Virgin is the last major hotel in Las Vegas that has not reached a contract agreement with the union. A lack of wage increases is at the heart of the dispute, union officials said.
“Right now, the ball’s in the company’s court,” Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said. “They’re saying zero for the next five years when it comes to wages. That’s unacceptable.”
Pappageorge said Thursday that Virgin should have more than enough money to support its workforce, especially considering investments from private equity firms.
Pappageorge’s sentiments were echoed by union members today as they took to the streets for a 48-hour strike.
“They’re saying that they don’t have money, but that’s a big lie,” Virgin employee Yuniel Acosta said.
A statement from Virgin Hotels said the company doesn’t believe the strike “is in anyone’s best interest” and that the union did not make clear what concessions were necessary to avoid a walkout.
The company also filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the union has engaged in unlawful bargaining tactics.
A copy of the complaint obtained by the Sun said the strike “appears to be the beginning of unlawful intermittent strike activity.”
Pappageorge, meanwhile, said the strike “is something that is serious. It’s a big decision for workers to make, but this company gives them no other choice.”
Union members marched in circles in front of the hotel and its parking garage, chanting slogans in English and Spanish.
The union has urged people with plans to stay at the resort to cancel their reservations.
Workers expressed the importance of supporting the union during the strike, stopping people leaving the hotel and informing them about it.
As cars pulled out of the parking garage, strikers chanted, “Thanks for leaving. Don’t come back.”
Acosta said there were rumors some employees planned to cross the picket line, but “I actually see them right now on the strike line.”
“We deserve that economic package that the rest of the city got, because right now the things are really hard. It’s really hard right here in Las Vegas,” Acosta said.
Some people showed up to show their solidarity with the union, including Neoconda Hughes, a Democratic candidate for state Senate District 3, which covers an area east and north of the Strip. The union has endorsed her in her race against Democratic incumbent Rochelle Nguyen.
Hughes, the daughter of a former Culinary Union secretary-treasurer, said, “I feel like without this union, our family would not be where we are. This is not just about a picket line, it’s about people’s lives.”
The strike is set to end at 5 a.m. Sunday, and no further strikes are planned, union officials said. The Culinary Union and Virgin Hotels have more negotiations scheduled for Tuesday.
