Labor Dispute Resolved as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and Union Resume Talks

After 700 workers from Culinary Union Local 226 organized a strike against Virgin Hotels Las Vegas that lasted 48 hours, the standoff is now over. The strike, which started on May 10, aimed to put pressure on Virgin Hotels Las Vegas executives to sign a new five-year contract which will provide employees with better wages and bebefits.

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Employees Demand Fair Deal

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and laundry and kitchen staff set up picket lines outside the company’s property located very near the Las Vegas Strip and previously known as Hard Rock Las Vegas, reported the Associated Press.

The union’s Secretary-Treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, said that Virgin Hotels Las Vegas employees hope that their strike will help fast-track the stalled negotiation process and a new agreement will be reached. Following the strike, talks will start again on May 14.

Prior to the strike, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas filed a complaint at the National Labor Relations Board against its employees stating that the union was not sincere in its negotiation efforts. Pappageorge countered the company’s claims defining them as mere corporate tactics.

The Virgin Hotels Las Vegas workers strike comes on the backdrop of a series of negotiations with various Las Vegas hospitality industry giants, which took place earlier this year. As other union members employed by Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino and Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, for example, achieved substantial wager increases for the next five years, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas employees were left behind. This prompted dissatisfaction among workers, which eventually led to the recent strike.

Workers Optimistic as Negotiations Continue

Ted Pappageorge commented that the contract with Virgin Hotels Las Vegas expired on June 1, 2023, making it almost a year since the company’s employees were left without a new one. This prolonged period without job security and better payment conditions on the backdrop of increased inflation and economic challenges is not to be tolerated, hence, the union resorted to strike measures.

The strike at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is relatively small in scale compared to previous strike action organized or planned by the Culinary Union. However, its impact was significant considering the property’s strategic location near both the Las Vegas Strip and the Las Vegas airport. As negotiations continue both the Culinary Union and its members are positive regarding a quick resolution in their favor providing them with fair wages and increased benefits.