Rampart Casino in Summerlin Faces Culinary Union Boycott

The Culinary Union and UNITE HERE urged for a boycott of Rampart Casino in Summerlin, Nevada, over an ongoing dispute between workers employed by the owners of the property in Vancouver, Canada. Currently, both Rampart Casino and the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel are owned by the Lalji family. The famous family is behind Sheraton Vancouver’s operator, Larco Hospitality, as well as Rampart Casino in Las Vegas Valley.

The boycott call came Thursday with the Culinary Union expressing solidarity with the currently striking workers at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel. The call for boycott follows months of strikes by employees in Canada and judging by the recent development, those strikes may affect Rampart Casino as well.

The Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel is located in the Richmond area of Vancouver. Recently, a public boycott of the hotel complex was announced by the British Columbia Federation of Labor, an organization that represents nearly 50 affiliated unions with approximately 500,000 members in the Canadian province.

Shaelyn Arnould, a Sheraton Vancouver Airport worker, revealed that the hotel is a popular destination especially for people landing at the Vancouver International Airport, adding that it is among the busiest hotels in the Lower Mainland. According to Arnould, the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel employs primarily immigrants and women. However, the worker pointed out: “But the cost of living in Vancouver and rent has skyrocketed while our wages haven’t kept up. We won’t let companies leave us behind and we’ll fight until we win.”

The Union Shares Its Concerns

Ted Pappageorge, the Culinary Union’s secretary-treasurer, spoke about the leadership role of the union, outlining that it has helped thousands of Las Vegas Strip and Downtown workers. Moreover, he said that the Culinary Union “has a long history of protecting and advancing these standards through organizing, bargaining, strikes, and boycotts.” Pappageorge added that the Union is concerned about the ongoing labor dispute between the Lalji family and its employees in Vancouver.

“We are concerned that a Lalji family business is engaged in a labor dispute in Vancouver totally at odds with these standards, and we fully support the strikers of UNITE HERE Local 40.“

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union

Besides calling for a boycott of Rampart Casino, the Union raised another concern regarding a gaming license for the casino held by Shirazalli Jafferali Lalji, who passed away in March 2020. It said that despite his passing, Mr Lalji was listed with an active gaming license as of March 21, 2024.