Virgin Hotels Casino Workers Hold Weekend-Long Strike

Article by : Erik Gibbs May 15, 2024

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Approximately 700 hotel workers, spanning various roles from guest room attendants to kitchen staff, staged a 48-hour strike at a prominent hotel casino near the Las Vegas Strip this past Friday. The strike, organized by the Culinary Union, marks the union’s first significant labor action in 22 years.

The Culinary Union, known as Nevada’s largest labor union, previously threatened a citywide strike late last year. However, agreements were reached with major hotel-casinos along the Strip, ensuring labor peace for around 40,000 workers. 

Similar agreements followed in early February, encompassing roughly 10,000 workers in downtown and off-strip properties.

The focal point of the current strike is Virgin Hotels, formerly the Hard Rock Las Vegas. Situated just west of the Strip, Virgin Hotels attracted the ire of workers who, armed with placards, congregated outside the establishment to express dissatisfaction with ongoing contract negotiations.

Anticipating the strike, Virgin Hotels lodged a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing the union of failing to engage in good faith negotiations and resorting to “unlawful ‘take it or leave it’ bargaining.”

In response, Virgin Hotels advocated for mediation to reach a mutually acceptable agreement without disrupting guest services.

Despite its smaller scale compared to past actions, the strike at Virgin Hotels holds significant weight due to the hotel-casino’s proximity to the Strip and its iconic status in Las Vegas, distinguished by an 80-foot-tall neon guitar sign.

The Culinary Union’s last major strike occurred in 2002 at the Golden Gate hotel casino in downtown Las Vegas, making the historical significance of the current labor dispute all the more prominent.

Earlier this year, union members at various Las Vegas-area properties secured agreements that included substantial salary increases totaling approximately 32% over five years, with a significant 10% increase slated for the first year.

Ted Pappageorge, the Culinary Union’s secretary-treasurer, explained the decision to call off a strike deadline in February.

The looming Super Bowl exerted pressure on other hotel casinos to negotiate, providing management additional time to address financial concerns and finalize settlements.

Pappageorge emphasized the urgency behind the 48-hour strike, noting the prolonged period since the expiration of the contract at Virgin Las Vegas on June 1, 2023. Workers have endured an extended period without the security of a formal contract.

Responding to Virgin Hotels’ complaint with the NLRB, Pappageorge dismissed it as a company tactic and expressed disappointment over its timing. “The charge is just a company stunt, and it’s unfortunate and sad that they’ve waited until the eve of the strike to even have that kind of discussion,” said Pappageorge.

By the time the weekend ended, so did the strike. The workers and Virgin reached a tentative agreement and will meet at the negotiating table on Tuesday to finalize the details.