Union workers continued to picket outside Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Sunday, marking the third consecutive day of strike action as the hotel-casino remains open with no talks scheduled between the company and its workers, the Associated Press reports.
Around 700 Culinary Workers Union members are striking for a new contract that would secure a pay raise and enhanced benefits, matching agreements reached last year at other resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. The workers represent a wide range of roles at the property, including guest room attendants, bartenders, cocktail servers, kitchen staff, and laundry workers.
The strike comes just one week before the highly anticipated second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of fans to the city for Formula 1 racing on the Strip and surrounding areas. The timing of the strike, which is the first open-ended action by the Culinary Workers Union since 2002, adds to the pressure on the hotel as it seeks to avoid disruptions during one of the city’s busiest events.
Union spokesperson Bethany Khan and Virgin Hotels media representative Terri Maruca confirmed that no new negotiations were scheduled. Maruca also revealed that the company has received more than 600 applications from prospective workers since Friday, including both contract and temporary staff. Meanwhile, the union is offering striking workers $500 per week for picketing shifts that last a minimum of five days.
“We’re standing up for a fair contract that reflects the work we do and the value we bring to this property… We’re hoping the company comes to the table and treats us with the respect we deserve,” said one worker on the picket line.
The strike follows a previous job action by the Culinary Union at Virgin Hotels in May, when workers staged a 48-hour walkout to demand a new five-year contract that would include expanded benefits and higher wages. Although Virgin Hotels recently reached an agreement with 105 members of the Teamsters Union, covering front desk, valet, and call center workers, no such agreement has been made with the Culinary Union members.
Virgin Hotels, which operates the 1,500-room property, issued a statement on Sunday calling the contracts reached by other Las Vegas casinos with the union last year “economically unsustainable.” The company emphasized its commitment to reaching a “reasonable agreement” for its employees, but accused union leadership of failing to engage in meaningful negotiations.
“We are committed to ensuring that Virgin Hotels remains a great place to work,” Maruca said.
She added that the company remains hopeful for a resolution. However, the company’s stance on the union’s demands has raised tensions as both sides appear entrenched in their positions.
In recent years, several other major casinos on the Strip, including Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, MGM Grand, and Caesars Palace, reached agreements with the Culinary Union just before last year’s Formula 1 race. Those contracts included significant salary increases—about 32% over five years—and expanded benefits for tens of thousands of workers.
With no resolution in sight and the Formula 1 event just days away, the union’s action could have major implications for both the hotel and the broader Las Vegas hospitality industry, which is heavily reliant on labor to handle large crowds and events.
The Culinary Workers Union, Nevada’s largest labor union with about 60,000 members, has not called a strike of this scale since 2002 when workers walked off the job for 10 days at the Golden Gate hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas.
