Published on: November 22, 2024, 06:41h.

Last updated on: November 22, 2024, 06:43h.

57 members and officials of the Culinary Union were taken into custody on Thursday night during the ongoing strike at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

The arrests took place around 6 p.m. while journalists and photographers were interviewing and photographing the picketers who were causing a roadblock.

Members of the Union Handcuffed

Several individuals who sat in the middle of Paradise Road, outside the hotel, were handcuffed before being escorted away by officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

One of the arrested individuals was the prominent union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge.

The arrests were a planned and nonviolent action that had been announced to the media hours in advance. The picketers intended to engage in civil disobedience.

Continuing Strike

The union’s ongoing picket line started at the hotel last Friday after the union leaders turned down the latest offer from the hotel representatives.

There is currently no resolution in sight for the strike, with no indications of both parties meeting for further discussions in the near future.

The union is advocating for higher wages and other enhancements for approximately 700 hospitality workers employed at the hotel.

They are requesting a five-year contract with salaries and benefits comparable to those agreed upon by other properties in Las Vegas or the Las Vegas Strip during negotiations with the Culinary Union in the past year.

The hospitality staff at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas have been working without a contract since June 1, 2023.

They include guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and kitchen staff.

The Culinary Union urges the public not to cross the picket line and has labeled the replacement workers hired by the hotel as “scabs.”

Previous Arrests

The arrests on Thursday are not the first instance of civil disobedience at the hotel.

In August, 23 workers and leaders of the Culinary Union were arrested while picketing at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

The peaceful picketing in August started on Harmon Avenue before the demonstrators sat down in the hotel’s porte-cochere, an entrance used by vehicles.

Hotel’s Response

Since the walkout by hospitality workers last Friday, the hotel issued a statement expressing gratitude to the numerous applicants who applied after the strike by other employees. The statement from the hotel mentioned that these temporary workers are qualified and experienced.

The statement from the hotel also stated that the union was not engaged in “meaningful bargaining.”

The union is seeking a “fair contract” as per their claims.

The strike is coinciding with the Formula 1 Las Vegas auto race happening this weekend.

It is being attended by many visitors staying at local hotels.