LAS VEGAS — A significant strike involving Las Vegas hotel workers has concluded after 69 days, culminating in a new agreement between the Culinary Workers Union and Virgin Hotels. This prolonged dispute, which began on November 15, marked the longest strike in over two decades in the region.
The Culinary Workers Union shared the news on the social media platform X, revealing that they had successfully negotiated a five-year contract benefiting around 700 workers at Virgin Hotels, located near the bustling Las Vegas Strip. Both the union and the casino expressed a desire to move forward and resolve any lingering issues for the benefit of all employees after the contentious negotiations.
According to union spokesperson Bethany Khan, the contract was finalized in recent days and received unanimous approval from the members on Wednesday. This agreement concluded a period of intense discussions that had garnered public attention due to ongoing disagreements primarily centered on wages.
Prior to this strike, the union’s previous contract with Virgin Hotels had lapsed in June 2023. The new contract is expected to include substantial pay increases, reflecting similar raises that union members across the Strip and other areas discussed in the last year. The new deal may potentially include a historic wage increase of 32% over five years, although Virgin Hotels had previously claimed that such an increase was not sustainable for the future of the casino.
Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer and chief negotiator, emphasized throughout the strike that the workers would not accept a substandard contract, insisting on equitable treatment. Lee McNamara, a seasoned cook with over 25 years at Virgin Hotels, expressed his frustration to local officials about being paid less than employees at other casinos for the same work.
He remarked, “We’re doing the same amount of work for less pay,” asserting that they were currently the lowest-paid union casino staff. Despite Virgin Hotels’ location off the main Strip, the strike remained highly visible to tourists. Union members maintained continuous picket lines outside the hotel-casino, situated within walking distance from the Strip and a common path to the international airport.
At various points during the strike, workers even halted traffic to draw attention to their cause, resulting in some arrests. The union criticized Virgin Hotels for employing temporary workers during the strike, while various public figures and organizations, including a comedian and the NFL Players Association, showed their support by advocating for a boycott of the casino.
The picketing workforce included housekeepers, porters, bellhops, and servers, many of whom expressed determination to continue their efforts until a favorable contract was achieved, even considering taking on additional jobs if necessary. Bartender Michael Renick, who has been with Virgin Hotels for about two years, shared his commitment, stating, “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.”
Prior to this event, the union had last enacted a strike in 2002, when employees at the Golden Gate hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas halted operations for ten days. As the largest labor union in Nevada, it boasts approximately 60,000 members statewide, with a significant portion located in Las Vegas.
