Culinary Union Local 226 Pickets Allegiant Stadium Over OVG Contract Dispute

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 staged a picket outside Allegiant Stadium at 3333 Al Davis Way as members pressed Oak View Group, the stadium operator, for a new contract covering more than 730 cooks, servers, bartenders and concessions workers. The union posted a media advisory March 4 announcing the picket for March 5 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Oak View Group assumed the existing union contract for Allegiant Stadium workers in February 2025, and Culinary Local 226 said negotiations remain unresolved. The union’s ONLINE / SOCIAL advisory listed Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer, and President Diana Valles among those available to media and said “hundreds of Culinary Union members” and OVG workers employed at Allegiant Stadium would participate.

The picket followed a prior demonstration on November 15, 2025, when KSNV reported roughly 200 members gathered along Al Davis Way between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ahead of the UNLV Rebels matchup against the Utah State Aggies. KSNV noted that Culinary Union President Diana Valles attended the November 15 picket and that the union provided BROLL from that event; the March 4 advisory explicitly listed the November 15 BROLL as an available asset.

Culinary Union leadership framed the dispute around job security, wages and health care. Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said, “It is time for this company to get this contract done, and OVG has a responsibility to make these hospitality jobs good union jobs.” Pappageorge also highlighted the size of the workforce, saying, “More than 730 cooks, servers, bartenders, and concessions workers at Allegiant Stadium show up every day to make every game day and event successful.” He added, “OVG workers deserve a fair contract that protects their jobs, secures wage increases to keep up with the cost of living, and quality union health care benefits that working families rely on.”

The union’s March 4 advisory provided media contact information for Bethany Khan and directed reporters to Culinary Union social channels for assets; the advisory listed Khan’s phone at (702) 387-7088 and email bkhan@culinaryunion226.org. The advisory emphasized online and social publicity for the action and reiterated the union’s demands for job security, fair wage increases, and quality union health care.

With OVG’s contract assumption in February 2025 and public pickets on November 15 and March 5, Culinary Local 226 has escalated visible pressure at Allegiant Stadium. The union’s use of game-day timing, BROLL from past actions, and leadership visibility signals a sustained campaign to push OVG toward a negotiated settlement that the union says will protect more than 730 hospitality workers.