Culinary Workers Union Reaches Five-Year Deal with Virgin Hotels
After hundreds of employees had walked off their Las Vegas hotel jobs in November, a deal between the union and the casinos was finally reached on Wednesday.
Las Vegas hotel workers on strike. Vegas Culinary Union reaches a deal with Virgin.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:This was the longest hotel worker strike in decades. The Culinary Workers Union announced on X that it has reached a 5-year pact for about 700 employees at Virgin Hotels near the Las Vegas Strip.
Joint Statement Released
Despite the 69-day strike that started on Nov. 15, 2024, the union and casino are ready to put this behind them “for the benefit of all team members at the property,” they said in a joint statement.
According to Bethany Khan, a union spokesperson, the deal came recently and was passed with a unanimous vote, ending contract negotiations over pay. The previous contract between the union and Virgin ended in June 2023, and the new deal will pay them similarly to other union workers on the Strip.
Ted Pappgeorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer and lead negotiator, was committed to not settling for a “second-class contract.” Lee McNamara, a cook who worked at the casino for more than 25 years, said he deserved a wage similar to other employees along the Strip and surrounding area.
We're doing the same amount of work for less pay,” he said. “We are literally the lowest-paid union casino as it stands right now.
Related: Virgin Las Vegas Workers Not Backing Down as Strike Completes Second Week
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Background on the Strike
Virgin Hotels may not be located on the Strip, but tourists still saw it due to the union’s around-the-clock picket lines. In fact, at one point, the strikers blocked traffic to bring attention to it, and some were arrested.
During this 69-day period, the union publicly criticized Virgin as they hired temporary workers. To assist, a comedian canceled his show there, and the NFL Players Association also pledged to boycott the casino. Those on the picket line were porters, servers, bellhops, housekeepers, and more.
“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,” Michael Renick, a bartender who has worked at Virgin Hotels, said.
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