MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
Friday, December 5, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union to strike DBE employer, Village Pub, at the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) on Friday, December 5th
BROLL from the civil disobedience on December 3rd
BROLL of the picket @ LAS Airport on November 5th
Las Vegas, NV - Culinary Union will strike DBE employer, Village Pub, at the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) for 24-hours beginning Friday, December 5th, 2025 at 5:00am through Saturday, December 6th, 2025 at 5:00am. Culinary Union represents nearly 30 workers employed at the fast food outlet, which is owned and operated by Airport Concessions LLC, and is urging passengers to not patronize Village Pub (located at Terminal 3) as they travel.
WHO:
*Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union
*Diana Valles, President of the Culinary Union
*LAS Airport DBE workers employed at Village Pub
WHAT: Media availability on the STRIKE @ LAS Airport picket line
WHEN: Friday, December 5th, 2025 from 10am-12pm
Strike is 24/7 as workers won’t be at work, picketing will not be as access to site is more limited. Schedule interviews with Ted Pappageorge and workers during the media availability times.
WHERE: Harry Reid International Airport - Terminal 3 departures sidewalk
WHY: Culinary and Bartenders Union members employed as cooks, fast food workers, bartenders, servers, and porters at Harry Reid International Airport disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) voted unanimously on November 12, 2025 to authorize a strike. Culinary Union continues negotiations with DBE companies even as hospitality workers employed at one outlet, Village Pub, are going on strike for 24-hours on Friday, December 5, 2025.
“Workers at the DBE concessionaires at LAS Airport are fighting for a new contract that secures a better future for their families. That’s why the Culinary Union has picketed, protested, rallied, participated in civil disobedience, and now has called for a strike at the Village Pub at the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and urges passengers to stand in solidarity with the workers. An active strike at Harry Reid International Airport could significantly impact operations at LAS ahead of the busy holiday season in Las Vegas,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “LAS Airport workers at the DBE concessionaires deserve fair wage increases and they are organized and ready to strike. Culinary Union has their back every step of the way is confident that we will win. Culinary Union celebrates our 90-year anniversary this year and we know first-hand the organizing and militancy it has taken to build Nevada’s middle class and to ensure working families can thrive. Nothing in our nine decades has been easily won and our good jobs weren’t simply handed to us. We made hospitality jobs in Las Vegas family-sustaining jobs with decades of sacrifice and strength and we will continue to win what workers deserve - a great union job with fair wages, job security, and the best health care benefits so that DBE concessionaire workers at LAS Airport can continue to provide for their families.”
Culinary and Bartenders Unions represent nearly 400 hospitality workers who are employed at 21 outlets at the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS):
*Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels (T1)
*Bagel Mania (T1)
*Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (T1 & T3)
*Fresh Market on the Go (T1)
*Great American Bagel Bakery (T3)
*Jamba Juice (T1 & T3)
*Jersey Mike’s (T1)
*Jimmy John’s (T3)
*Lucky Streak (T1)
*Moe’s Southwest Grill (T1)
*Mrs. Fields Cookies & TCBY Treats (T1)
*Nathan’s (T1)
*Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen (T1)
*Port of Subs (T1)
*Quizno’s (T1)
*Rachel’s Kitchen (T1)
*Red Mango Store (T1)
*The Layover Bar (T1)
*Village Pub (T3) - *ON STRIKE!*
*Villa Italian Kitchen (T1)
*Wendy’s (T1)
Hundreds of unionized LAS Airport workers are in negotiations for a new union contract, including protection of their health care benefits, and meaningful raises since many have not been given raises in 3-4 years.
The most recent Culinary Union strike was 69-days from November 15, 2024 - January 22, 2025 at the Virgin Las Vegas when hospitality workers fought for and won the best contract ever.
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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 120,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latino/a, 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% Latino/a, 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 90 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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