Hotel workers strike in Las Vegas for better pay and benefits

Las Vegas hotel workers strike.
Virgin Hotel employees are negotiating a new contract.
They’re asking for better pay.

Waiters and cooks at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas have expressed their determination to continue striking as they negoitate five-year contract with improved wages and benefits.

Over 700 members of the Culinary Union conducted a staggered strike over the weekend in response to the hotel’s refusal to renew the contract, which expired almost a year ago, according to EFE.

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union, stated that the 48-hour work stoppage sent a clear message that the company must act in the best interest of its employees.

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Hotel workers strike in Las Vegas

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Meanwhile, negotiations between the union and the hotel are scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

The Culinary Union, the largest in Nevada, represents workers from various sectors, including laundry, kitchen, wait staff, porters and bellhops.

The weekend strike affected all major areas of the hotel, including housekeeping, food and beverages and several unionized restaurants.

Last year, members of the Culinary and Bartenders Union voted to authorize a strike at all Las Vegas hotels.

Workers in Las Vegas demand better working conditions

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To date, more than 50,000 workers have secured contracts that offer the best working conditions in history, an achievement that workers at Virgin Las Vegas hope to match.

The last time unionized culinary workers went on strike was in 2002 at the Golden Gate hotel/casino in downtown Las Vegas, according to The Associated Press.

Last week, prior to the strike, Virgin Hotels filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the union of not bargaining in good faith. Pappageorge dismissed the accusation.

Last year, the union authorized a city-wide strike just before Las Vegas hosted the Super Bowl. However, they eventually reached an agreement with hotel-casinos for about 40,000 workers, and for another 10,000 in other venues.