Hundreds apply for jobs at off-Strip casino as strike continues

Workers at Virgin Hotels enter their fourth day of striking with no negotiations scheduled as of Monday morning.

Culinary Local 226 members walked off the job Friday after negotiators could not reach a tentative agreement for a new five-year contract for its roughly 700 members at Virgin. The hospitality workers union said they would withhold their labor until a deal giving them wage increases could be achieved.

The picketing puts pressure on the off-Strip hotel-casino, located on east Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road, to get a deal done before the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix starts on Thursday.

But Virgin is moving forward with contingency plans. Over the weekend, the company said it had about 660 people lined up to apply for the temporary openings created by the strike. The roles mostly covered guest room attendants and environmental services workers, a spokesperson said.

In a Monday statement, the hotel-casino said the replacement workers are paid the same wage rates as the union workers’ expired contract. Meanwhile, Culinary called for the public to take their business elsewhere, warning of “scab” workers.

Striking Virgin union members who picket five days a week receive $500 from Culinary’s strike fund, the union said.

Virgin officials said they reached a tentative agreement with its 105 Teamsters union members, representing front desk, bell/valet and call center workers, on Wednesday.

On Friday, Culinary Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge told reporters that Virgin “put a few more pennies on the table” during Thursday’s bargaining session before the strike deadline. He said the company’s offer was “less than a third” of the $9.21 wage and benefit increases, over the life of the five-year contract, achieved at comparable resort corridor properties. He also noted other Strip workers have received additional raises now that they are on year two of their contract.

Virgin officials argue the union is aware of the company’s financial position that makes the union’s proposed contract “not economically sustainable for the property,” according to a Friday evening statement. The company has urged Culinary to let members vote on their proposed contract.

“Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is committed to protecting the jobs of our 1,710 team members through ensuring the continued operation of our property,” part of the statement read. “We believe in prioritizing the well-being of all our team members, a responsibility that the Union does not seem to share. The Union is willing to sacrifice off-Strip properties to maintain its bargaining leverage, at the expense of its own members.”

The strike is Culinary’s first open-ended strike since a 10-day strike at Golden Gate hotel-casino in 2002. It previously held a two-day strike at Virgin in May. The union also successfully threatened to strike before the inaugural Formula One race last November, resulting in a “historic” contract for union members at some of the largest employers on the Strip.

Two of the hotel-casinos were closed on Monday: Casa Calavera, a Mexican eatery, and The Kitchen at Commons Club.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.