14 DAY TRIAL // 98 casino employees have been arrested on Wednesday, March 20 after a protest against working conditions at the Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, workers joined together by The Culinary Union have picketed the casino wearing red shirts and signs letting owners know that they are not backing down.
“Cosmopolitan, look around, Las Vegas is a union town! [...] No justice, no peace!” they chanted as they blocked the street with a sit-down protest.
“Cosmopolitan workers are not second-class citizens ... They need a contract,” they belted out.
Members of the Local 226 union sector have been negotiating contracts with Cosmopolitan resort owners at Deutsche Bank for the past two years.
During this time, they have not been working under contract, which has brought about much discontent among employees.
Some 2,000 people took part in the demonstration held on Wednesday evening, Vegas Inc indicates. The protest ended once picketers stopped traffic for an hour, prompting a police intervention.
A little less than 100 people have been booked, with the last one being taken into police custody at 6:10 p.m.
“We'll be back,” others yelled out as they left Las Vegas Boulevard, once police stepped in.
“We're united here. [...] The Cosmopolitan wants to be a model on the Strip. We can't let that happen,” says 49-year-old Marcus Lucas, one of the detainees who is currently employed by the Mirage.
“This had to be done. [...] It's not a case of anger or excitement — this just needed to happen,” 52-year-old Flamingo bartender Brian Ward tells reporters.
Employers represented by spokeswoman Amy Rossetti are responding to the incident by citing “ongoing negotiations with the unions to find a fair agreement.” We will keep you updated on this story as it progresses.