AFSCME Joins Culinary Union's Historic Strike at Virgin Hotel in Vegas

Amid ongoing labor disputes in Las Vegas, AFSCME President Lee Saunders joined the ranks of Culinary Workers Union Local 226 on the picket line at Virgin Hotel on Tuesday. Marking the 61st day of the strike, the union continues its push for a new five-year agreement for 700 hospitality employees.

The labor contract at Virgin Las Vegas came to an end on June 1, 2023. Since then, Local 226, part of UNITE HERE, successfully negotiated similar contracts with every other unionized hotel on and off the Las Vegas strip, with Virgin Las Vegas remaining the exception. Workers have been striking continuously since November 15.

Virgin Hotel, under the ownership of Canadian firm Fengate Asset Management valued at over $9 billion, proposed a wage increase averaging just $0.30 per hour over five years. This offer falls significantly short of the $4 per hour raises secured by other Las Vegas hospitality workers in recent negotiations.

Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 226, commented on the situation: “This company, they said they couldn’t find their money. We got a nine-billion-dollar financial fund from Canada that owns this company. The reality is, they just don’t like their workers. The workers at the Virgin Hotel, they’re not going anywhere – they’re going to fight until we win a great contract at the Virgin Hotel.”

Diana Valles, the union president, emphasized the workers' determination: “If the Virgin Hotel and billionaires from Canada think that these workers are going to give up, let me tell you one thing: we’re going to stay here all day, all night until these workers get the same contract that every other hospitality worker in this town has.”

Lee McNamara, a cook at the Virgin Hotel, echoed the sentiment, saying, “All or none. We’re going to show them we deserve the same contract as other hospitality workers. We’re going to be out here as long as it takes.”

In a show of support, AFSCME President Lee Saunders rallied the workers with a message of solidarity. “The mean, Green Machine is here!” he declared. “We have fought so many times together. You have helped us, and we have helped you – we are there for you until you finish this fight. We want these folks to understand, when you mess with one, you mess with all of labor. We will support you until you win a fair and decent contract.”