Culinary Union announces strike at Virgin Hotels ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Culinary Union has announced plans for a strike at Virgin Hotels starting next Friday, a week before the Las Vegas Grand Prix starts.

In a press release Friday, union leaders said the strike will begin at 5 a.m. on Friday, November 15, and will involve 700 hospitality workers. The strike is the latest attempt by unions to push for a new five-year union contract.

This will be the union’s first indefinite strike in 22 years.

Negotiations between the union and the hotel have been ongoing throughout the year, but union leaders say the latest request for a head-table negotiation has not been answered.

“The Virgin Las Vegas contract expired on June 1, 2023, and employees are fighting for a new contract that secures a better future for their families,” said Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union. “That is why the Culinary Union has called for a strike… and urges Las Vegas residents and customers not to cross the picket line in solidarity with workers.”

On Friday afternoon, Virgin Hotels responded to FOX5’s request for comment on the threatened strike.

“We have been notified that the Culinary Workers Union 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 (the union(s)) have established a strike deadline at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

While we appreciate the negotiating process, the Union must still cooperate in our efforts to reach an agreement in good faith. The Union did not allow our team members to vote on a proposal made in June, and we have been waiting for the Union’s response to a number of proposals since July 11. Although she committed herself at the negotiating table to providing those answers as quickly as possible, it was not until November 8 that we were contacted about a return to the table or other potentially constructive steps toward a resolution.

During the negotiations, the Union has engaged in ‘take it or leave it’ negotiations, refusing to abandon a position that it knows is not economically viable for our territory outside the Strip, and that would have a negative impact have on all hotel team members. Our commitment to the well-being of our team members and achieving sustainable performance in our field remains steadfast.

Since January, the Union has worked tirelessly to attempt to disrupt our operations, contact our team members, and bombard our customers with misleading information.

The Union’s two-day strike in May did not impact operations or the guest experience, and we are confident that our operations will not be affected by a future strike.

We are fully committed to finding a fair solution and hope that the Union will come to the table on November 14 to negotiate in good faith.”