FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, December 6, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union members picket with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto on the Virgin Las Vegas strike line -
BROLL: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto on the picket line
Las Vegas, NV – On Friday, December 6th, the 22nd day of the Culinary Union’s longest strike in over two decades, hospitality workers were joined by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a steadfast advocate for working families, on the picket line outside of Virgin Las Vegas.
“We welcome Senator Catherine Cortez Masto to the Virgin Las Vegas strike line. She is a leader and a fighter and we are proud that she’s came out this evening to support strikers and walk the picket line. We know that she has our backs and will continue to stand with workers until every Virgin Las Vegas worker has a fair contract,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “Virgin Las Vegas workers are strong and we will stand alongside them until they win the fair contract they deserve. Virgin Las Vegas has refused to settle a first-class contract with fair wage increases and that’s unacceptable. The message to anyone considering staying at Virgin Hotels is clear: Check out. Every other hotel on the Las Vegas Strip has professional staff who have settled contracts and respect their workers. Virgin is relying on temporary workers, which is unprofessional and unfair. Strong union health care, fair wages, and job security are worth fighting for, and the Culinary Union will do whatever it takes to win.”
“Virgin Las Vegas strikers can always count on me and the Nevada delegation to stand with them - we will always have their backs. I am proud to stand alongside workers on the picket line who are fighting for a strong contract and a better future. Culinary Union members are the gold standard of hospitality - their hard work and dedication make it happen. What workers do matters - for their families, for Las Vegas, and for the role our State has on the global stage. Together, we stand united to fight for a better future, for good wages, and to ensure that one job is enough.” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.
“I’m excited that Senator Catherine Cortez Masto came out to stand with us on the picket line. Her support means so much - it shines a light on what we’re doing. My co-workers and I are united and we’re here on strike fighting for better wages and for fairness,” said Genesis Knipping, a room service order taker at Virgin Las Vegas and Culinary Union member for 9 years. “One job should be enough. Union jobs set a standard in this city and we’re out here on strike - going on 22 days now - to make sure that standard is upheld. As strikers, we’re grateful to have Senator Cortez Masto on our side.”
For the first time in over 22 years, the Culinary Union is leading its longest-lasting strike in more than two decades, taking workers at Virgin Las Vegas out in a strike that began November 15th at 5:00am as workers continue fighting for a new 5-year union contract for 700 hospitality workers. Since the strike began, hundreds of striking workers and union members have maintained 24/7 picket lines at every entrance and exit along Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road around the casino property.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with Virgin Las Vegas strikers who hail from 23 different countries, including: Belize, Benin, Bulgaria, Cuba, Denmark, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Serbia, Thailand, and Turkey.
One week into the strike, 57 Culinary Union members and striking workers from Virgin Las Vegas were arrested November 21, 2024 in an act of peaceful civil disobedience. The labor demonstration drew hundreds of striking workers and union members. During the Thanksgiving holiday, Culinary Union hosted food basket distribution and a holiday dinner on the picket line for strikers. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Congressional representatives Dina Titus and Steven Horsford, Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine, and other elected officials have supported workers by walking the picket line and visiting with strikers.
The contract at Virgin Las Vegas expired on June 1, 2023. For months, the Culinary Union has been reaching out to locals, venue performers, customers, investors, company board members, gaming regulators, and community allies about the strike. As the strike continues, the Culinary Union is urging tourists, venue performers, elected officials, and community allies to stay out of Virgin Las Vegas and is actively encouraging customers to cancel their reservation, check out of the property, choose a union accommodation, and eat at union restaurants.
COMING TO LAS VEGAS AND PLANNING TO STAY AT VIRGIN LAS VEGAS? During Wrangler NFR Las Vegas 2024 (December 5-14), and ahead of Las Vegas Bowl (December 27), AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (Jan 22-25), 2025 Academic Surgical Congress (February 11-13), Exchange 2025 (March 23-26), and Directions North America 2025 (April 7-9), the Culinary Union is asking locals, elected officials, political candidates, conferences/conventions, and tourists to support hospitality workers by not patronizing the Virgin Las Vegas, which is in an active labor dispute.
CUSTOMERS DESERVE BETTER: Culinary Union condemns Virgin Las Vegas for hiring temporary scab workers - off the street - to clean guest rooms, work in the hotel, cook meals, and serve guests drinks during the strike. Customers deserve high quality service provided by trained and trusted professionals. Culinary Union encourages guests to demand that their rooms be cleaned by union professionals and to leave honest reviews online about their personal experience during the strike.
Culinary and Bartenders Unions strikers are from all major areas of operations at Virgin Las Vegas, including housekeeping, food and beverage departments, and the following unionized restaurants: Casa Calavera, Funny Library Coffee Shop, Juice Bar, The Bar at Commons Club, The Kitchen at Commons Club, and The Shag Room.
Virgin Hotels is a lifestyle hospitality brand that Sir Richard Branson's global Virgin Group has pioneered for over 50 years. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is owned by the LiUNA Pension Fund of Eastern and Central Canada (LPFCEC), Fengate Asset Management, and Juniper Capital. LPFCEC, based in Oakville, Ontario, has over C$11 billion in assets; over 150,000 members in Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island; and over 27,500 pensioners and beneficiaries. Fengate, with offices in Toronto and Houston, is a real asset and growth equity investor in North America. Juniper, headed by managing partners Jay Wolf, Alex Krys, and Armand Reale, makes direct investments in real estate and advises a variety of institutional clients with a focus on value creation. In August, Nuveen Green Capital, a subsidiary of Nuveen and a TIAA company, agreed to give Virgin Las Vegas $190 million in financing. TIAA serves non-profit institutions & their employees. Nuveen manages assets for clients including its parent company TIAA.
—
ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latinx, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 89 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
###