Key points:
- 57 Culinary Union members have been arrested as part of strike action against Virgin Hotels
- Workers are demanding a new contract from the hotel for 700 workers
- The strike is now in its eighth day and is set to continue through the Vegas Grand Prix weekend
Approximately 57 members of the Las Vegas Culinary Local 226 have been arrested following non-violent ‘civil disobedience’ protest, as the latest part of its strike action against Virgin Hotels.
Workers from a variety of hospitality roles at Virgin Hotels sat on Paradise Road as part of the protest on Thursday evening this week, leading to a number of arrests.
The Union has been in dispute with the Hotel for some time, following unsuccessful negotiations pertaining to a new contract for over 700 workers of the hotel. After the expiration of its previous contract in June 2023, members of the Culinary Union are demanding an immediate wage rise across a new five-year contract, and have already reached agreements with Caesars, MGM, Venetian, Pallazzo, Mirage, Tropicana and Wynn Resorts. This makes Virgin the last downtown Vegas property with which it is now in dispute.
Culinary and Bartenders Local 165 members have explained they will continue to strike until the matter is resolved, as the strike moves into its eighth day and has now forced Virgin Hotels to hire scab workers over the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend – a move condemned by the Union.
Good to know: These are not the first Union member arrests related to the dispute, as 23 workers were arrested in August for protesting outside the hotel
Negotiations have now, seemingly, stalled – with Virgin’s latest economic proposals being deemed insufficient by the Union. As part of a post on X (Twitter), the Culinary Local 226 stated, “The company has held more than a year without a contract – now it’s time for Virgin to step up!”
Earlier in the week, Virgin Hotels also released the following statement, “It is disappointing that Culinary Union leaders are prepared to spend their own members’ resources on fake arrests, rather than engaging in constructive good faith bargaining — something they have not yet done.”
