Thousands of hotel workers fighting for new union contracts rallied on the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday evening, halting rush-hour traffic before dozens were arrested for sitting in the street, the AP reports. The stepped-up labor unrest aimed to draw attention to negotiations with three major casino companies. Seated in two separate circles, workers in red T-shirts blocked cars in both directions for roughly 30 minutes as the sun sank in the west, casting golden rays across one of the most recognizable stretches of the Strip near the Bellagio fountain, the Eiffel Tower replica and Caesars Palace. Police officers with zip ties eventually started taking protesters into custody, leading them to a white police bus with flashing red and blue lights.
Las Vegas police said 58 people were cited for assembling to disturb the peace, a misdemeanor. The Culinary Workers Union overwhelmingly voted last month to authorize a strike if they don't soon reach agreements with MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts. (It also comes at the same time casino workers in Michigan, including employees of the MGM Grand Detroit, are on strike.) Leaders of the Culinary Workers Union said they wanted a show of force ahead of any potential strike. Bethany Khan, the union's spokesperson, said in an interview after the protest that the union will cover all legal fees for the workers who were arrested, including bail and any costs for legal representation in court.
A Las Vegas strike deadline has not yet been set as the union and casino companies return to the bargaining table this week. But Ted Pappageorge, the union's secretary and treasurer, told reporters this month that thousands of workers who keep the Strip's hotel-casinos humming could walk off the job in the coming weeks if the latest round of negotiations aren't productive. The culinary union is the largest labor union in Nevada with about 60,000 members. Contracts for about 40,000 of them in Las Vegas expired recently, and negotiations have been underway for months over topics such as pay and working conditions. The union hasn't gone on strike in more than three decades.
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