Hundreds of casino workers at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas walked off their jobs last week over stalled talks to win a new five-year union pay contract. On Thursday, police in Sin City arrested 57 of the striking casino workers at a protest outside the hotel-casino, the Culinary Workers Union announced on X.
Dozens of striking casino workers outside Virgin Hotels Las Vegas were arrested for blocking the road in front of the hotel-casino
Images and videos posted on X by the union showed members blocking a road in front of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Photos also showed police handcuffing union members. The Culinary Union said the union’s leadership, including President Diana Valles, were arrested by police as well.
“Culinary Union members on strike outside @VirginHotelsLV while Culinary Union members are getting arrested in non-violent civil disobedience,” the union said in one of the posts.
Culinary Union members on strike outside @VirginHotelsLV while Culinary Union members are getting arrested in non-violent civil disobedience. 🗓️ The company has held more than a year without a contract – now it’s time for Virgin to step up! #OneJobShouldBeEnough pic.twitter.com/vzwX1ijf0H
— Culinary Union (@Culinary226) November 22, 2024
The work stoppage at the hotel-casino marks the first open-ended strike in 22 years for the Culinary Workers Union, the largest labor union in Nevada, with about 60,000 members. Virgin Hotels is being pressured to agree to a new five-year deal with higher wages and better benefits for workers.
Bellhops, housekeepers, porters, and servers continue to strike outside the hotel-casino, which was formerly the Hard Rock Las Vegas. The union pays striking workers $500 per week for picketing shifts for at least five days.
Virgin Hotels said it remains focused on reaching a deal with the union that is economically viable
Virgin Hotels said in a statement last week that it is focused on reaching a deal with the union that is “economically viable” for both its union workers and its other employees.
“Our dedication to our team members’ well-being and achieving sustainable performance at our property remains steadfast. … We are fully committed to finding a fair resolution that is in their best interest,” the company said.
Las Vegas police said the road next to the casino, which was earlier closed because of protests, had reopened after the arrests.
The city is hosting Formula One Grand Prix this weekend.
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is owned by JC Hospitality, in addition to Juniper Capital Partners, Virgin Group and others, per the hotel-casino’s website.
