Las Vegas Hotel Workers End Decades: The longest strike in decades by Las Vegas hotel workers came to an end on Wednesday, with a new contract between the Culinary Workers Union and Virgin Hotels, a casino where hundreds of employees had walked off the job in November. The deal marks a major milestone in the labor dispute, which had garnered widespread attention over the past two months.
On social media platform X, the Culinary Workers Union announced that it had secured a five-year agreement for approximately 700 employees at Virgin Hotels, located near the Las Vegas Strip. Both the union and the casino released a joint statement, emphasizing their commitment to moving forward and working together for the benefit of all employees at the property. This came after a grueling 69-day strike that began on November 15.
A Hard-Fought Negotiation
Bethany Khan, a spokesperson for the union, shared that the deal was finalized in recent days and was unanimously approved on Wednesday by the rank-and-file members of the union. This approval marks the end of what had been a highly contentious round of contract negotiations, which had stalled publicly due to significant disagreements over pay.
The previous contract between the Culinary Workers Union and Virgin Hotels expired in June 2023, and the new agreement is expected to include significant pay increases similar to those secured by other union members across the Strip and beyond in the last year. The union had been pushing for a historic 32% wage increase over the next five years, an amount that Virgin Hotels had initially claimed was not financially feasible for the casino’s long-term success.
Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer and lead negotiator, had been firm in his stance throughout the strike, stating that workers at Virgin Hotels were not willing to accept what he referred to as a “second-class contract.” Pappageorge’s commitment to improving wages for the workers echoed the sentiment of many of the striking employees.
Striking for Fair Pay and Living Wages
The issue of fair pay was at the heart of the strike. Employees, many of whom had worked at Virgin Hotels for years, were outspoken about their belief that they deserved a living wage, especially given the rising cost of living in Las Vegas. One striking worker, Lee McNamara, a cook with over 25 years of experience at the casino, voiced his frustration at a public meeting with Clark County commissioners in December.
“We’re doing the same amount of work for less pay,” McNamara said, adding that Virgin Hotels workers were, at the time, the lowest-paid union workers in the Las Vegas casino industry. This feeling of being undervalued was a driving force behind the strike, with employees determined to fight for pay that matched their labor contributions.
The Strike’s Visibility and Impact
While Virgin Hotels isn’t located directly on the Las Vegas Strip, the strike still garnered significant attention. The union maintained continuous picket lines outside the hotel-casino, which is located within walking distance of the Strip and a common route used by tourists traveling to and from the city’s international airport. The highly visible nature of the strike, combined with the union’s efforts to block traffic at one point, made the labor dispute a topic of public conversation throughout the city.
The strike also attracted solidarity from various figures and groups, including a comedian who canceled his show in support of the union, as well as the NFL Players Association, which pledged to boycott Virgin Hotels while the strike was ongoing. The union also criticized Virgin Hotels for hiring temporary workers who crossed the picket line, adding to the tensions between the two parties.
The Union’s Legacy and the Road Ahead
The Culinary Workers Union, Nevada’s largest labor union with around 60,000 members statewide, has a long history of advocating for workers’ rights. Its previous strike took place in 2002 when employees at the Golden Gate hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas walked off the job for 10 days.
Throughout the strike, workers remained steadfast in their resolve, with many expressing their willingness to stay on the picket line for as long as necessary to secure a fair contract. Bartender Michael Renick, who had worked at Virgin Hotels for two years, was among those determined to continue until the dispute was resolved. “I’m ready to go for as long as I need to, and I’m pretty sure that’s how everyone else is feeling too,” Renick said during the strike.
With the new contract now in place, workers at Virgin Hotels can look forward to a fairer and more secure future, and the broader labor movement in Las Vegas may also see the fruits of this hard-won victory.
