It was mayhem on the Las Vegas Strip earlier this week as crowds of workers blocked traffic in a demonstration against The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas by members of the Culinary Workers Union.
Police arrested 98 demonstrators who turned out Wednesday to express their anger with the casino’s owners, Deutsche Bank, for failing to reach an agreement with the union on a new labor contract.
The talks have dragged on for two years.
Earlier this year, the 54,000-member union held two one-day pickets outside the casino, which sits at the heart of the Strip between CityCenter and Bellagio. It was the Culinary’s first public demonstration on the Strip since 2003.
The city’s labor troubles are continuing on another front as well as an undetermined number of taxi drivers were reported to be preparing a walkout in protest against a contract their union, United Steelworkers, signed with Frias Transportation Management without a vote of the rank and file.
Frias is the largest cab company in Las Vegas, holding nearly 30% of the city’s 2,410 operating permits. Of about 1,900 Frias drivers it is estimated that about 1,000 to 1,300 belong to United Steelworkers.
