LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Culinary Union has called for a short-term strike at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.
According to a media release, the 48-hour strike will begin at 5 a.m. on Friday, May 10. It will involve over 700 hospitality workers and will be the first such action in Virgin’s history.
Main table negotiations with Virgin Las Vegas are currently scheduled for Tuesday, May 14. The union said that 24/7 picket lines around the property will be in place daily from Friday at 5:00 a.m.-Sunday at 4:59 a.m. During a strike, the Culinary Union urges the community and customers to support workers and to not patronize the resort or cross picket lines.
Last year, members of the Culinary and Bartenders Unions voted to authorize a citywide strike. Contracts for over 50,000 workers have since been settled.
Contract negotiations for one casino property remain: The Virgin Las Vegas contract, which expired on June 1, 2023. Terms and conditions of an expired collective bargaining agreement largely remain in effect, including wages, benefits, and job security protections, but the no-strike provisions are no longer in effect, allowing workers to go on strike now.
Aaron Mahan, a food server at a restaurant on property, talked with FOX5 about the decision to strike.
“It’s never easy to make the decision to go on strike, but we’re trying to get the same contract that every other casino has gotten – and got quite a while ago at this point,” he said.
Mahan added the strike was an especially big decision for his coworkers who live paycheck-to-paycheck.
“Even just a two-day strike is going to affect a lot of people, so this is a major step for us to do a two-day strike,” he said.
Virgin Hotels issued a statement following the announcement:
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