Virgin presents ‘final offer’ in Culinary negotiations

Virgin Hotels said it presented its “final offer” to unionized hospitality workers at the off-Strip property, 10 days after they held a brief strike.

Property management said Wednesday it presented its “last, best and final offer” regarding the property’s five-year contract with Culinary Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165. It comes after about five months of negotiating with the joint union, and three months after all other unionized competitors in the region finalized their labor agreements.

Union members held a two-day strike beginning on May 10, alleging the property’s management has not offered wage increases in the next contract.

“We do not believe the Union has bargained in good faith,” the hotel-casino said in a statement Wednesday. “The Union has made misleading statements to our team members and to the press about the negotiations and the proposals we have put before them. Despite our best intentions, the Union has chosen to engage in ‘take it or leave it’ bargaining. Their tactics have made it impossible to negotiate a complete agreement. Their tactics are hurting our team members. Due to this, we have made a Last, Best, and Final Offer in an effort to reach a fair resolution.”

Virgin officials did not respond to additional questions about the details of their proposal.

A spokeswoman for the union, representing about 700 of the property’s 1,700 employees, declined to comment on Virgin’s statement. She said no future negotiation meetings are scheduled as of Thursday afternoon.

Early this month, Virgin officials filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the union with the National Labor Relations Board with the same allegations as in Wednesday’s statement.

Final offers in collective bargaining are presented to the other party for a vote. If the party rejects it, then the parties could reach a formal impasse, where employers can impose the terms and conditions of the last offer while still negotiating, according to the NLRB.

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.