Las Vegas hotel workers union reaches deal with casino to end strike

Hundreds of workers at a Las Vegas hotel and casino who have been on strike for more than two months will go back to work after agreeing to a new contract Wednesday.

The Culinary Workers Union and an affiliated bartenders union, which together represented about 700 striking workers at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, announced the employees had unanimously approved a five-year deal.

The unions and the hotel said in a joint statement that they are “pleased to be moving past their contract negotiations as each looks forward to fostering a positive and collaborative working relationship for the benefit of all team members at the property.”

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, which is part of Hilton’s portfolio of hotels, had been a hold out, refusing to agree to robust wage increases that other casinos in the area had consented to last year.

Newspaper Ads Canyon Crest CA

During negotiations owners of the hotel initially rebuffed the 32% raise workers had demanded, which was in line with other contracts in the area, but ultimately agreed to the boost, said Bethany Khan, a spokesperson for the union.

Workers will see a 10% wage hike in the first year with the rest of the pay increases coming over the remaining years of the contract, Khan said. The average culinary union member earns about $28 per hour — including benefits — and by the end of the contract that average will rise to $37 per hour.

The hotel had contended that the union’s demands were unrealistic, calling its proposal “not financially sustainable” in a statement in November.

The strike, which began in mid-November, had been the first open-ended work stoppage in more than two decades for Nevada’s largest union. The Culinary Workers Union and the bartenders union together represent some 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.