Culinary utilises F1 leverage once more as Virgin Las Vegas employees strike

Culinary utilises F1 leverage once more as Virgin Las Vegas employees strike.

 Under failing contract discussions, over 700 non-gaming staff members from Culinary Union Local 226 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas went on strike today, November 15.
 Terminations
 With the first occurring on May 10–11, Friday's strike is the second at the site this year.  Since the last collective bargaining agreement expired last June, the two parties have been bargaining.  The July last round of negotiations came to a stand-still.  Another failed last-ditch conference yesterday, November 14.

 The strike deadline's timing is not accident.  November 21-23 is the second Las Vegas Formula One (F1) Grand Prix.  It is now among the most important events in the city and a great source of leverage for Culinary.

 Virgin expressed disappointment in the current meeting ending "without engaging in meaningful bargaining."  The property claims Culinary tried to strong-arm its way to a contract "it knows is not economically viable."

 "The ball was in the Union's court when we ended our most recent meeting on July 11," the declaration said.  "We did not hear from the Union until November 8; it had already set a strike date of November 15.  Their unconstructive approach and poor faith negotiations today were another letdown after we waited several months for the Union to answer our June proposal and return to the table.

 Culinary said that Virgin's most recent offer included no pay raises for the first eighteen months of a new agreement.  One past offer was for no raises within the first three years.  On X, the union underlines that the sides remain "miles apart" and offers a "insult to workers."

 Culinary226/status/18572448 @ https://twitter.com
 Culinary using F1 race for second consecutive year
 Using the F1 race as a deadline, last autumn the union was negotiating new contracts with the "Big Three," Wynn, MGM, and Caesars.  At a crucial junctur, some 40,000 employees spread over 18 buildings ready for a walkout would have seriously harmed the city's economy.  The strategy worked; all three of the corporations agreed to fresh five-year contracts.

 Along with various additional incentives, the arrangements offered 32% pay rises over the terms of the contracts.  Reversing daily room cleanliness standards was a major source of conflict following adjustments made during the COVID-era.  Included also were protections against possibly job-impacting technologies like artificial intelligence.

 Culinary kept performing its tour de force throughout the Las Vegas Valley as the Big Three came to terms.  Presumably using the same or similar terms, it also guaranteed arrangements with scores of local independent operators.  In some situations Culinary set a deadline in early February using Super Bowl LVIII as leverage.

 Few remain holdouts, apart from Red Rock.
 Virgin's strike is important since it is one of the final Culinary holdouts in Las Vegas.  Agreeing to terms with employees at the Venetian-Palace, the union created history on August 20.  That agreement marks Culinary's decades-long journey towards unionisation of the whole Las Vegas Strip complete.  Under such circumstances, a four-year agreement was negotiated to align with the end of the other contracts.

 Sheldon Adelson, the founder of Las Vegas Sands, was the past owner of Venetian and always adamantly opposed unionisation.  Culinary did not advance there until Apollo Global Management bought the site when Adelson passed away in 2021.

 Adelson was no friend of Culinary, but that is small compared to the union's great conflict with Red Rock Resorts.  For many years, Red Rock, the parent business of Station Casinos, has gone in and out of labour courts with Culinary.

 Right now, both sides are pursuing two different claims before the National Labour Relations Board.  Culinary claims in one suit that the Red Rock Resort property owned by the business participated in union-busting operations in preparation for an abortive 2019 union election.  Red Rock is charged in the other of using the COVID-19 epidemic as a justification for erasing workers' rights.