(HARRY REID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) Nearly 400 food and beverage workers picketed at Harry Reid International Airport on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, pressing for a new contract after four years without raises and warning of a strike that could affect travel ahead of the holidays. The workers, represented by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, rallied from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm across Terminals 1 and 2, focusing on outlets run by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, or DBEs, including American Bagel, Bagelmania, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Jamba Juice, Jersey Mike’s, Nathan’s, Port O’Subs, and Wendy’s.
Union leaders said the picket marked a decisive turn in contract negotiations that have dragged on with ten employers operating 20 outlets at the airport. The Culinary Union has set a strike deadline of November 14, 2025, signaling it will launch strategic strikes if no deal is reached. The union says those actions could be short-term, long-term, or rolling, allowing crews to rotate off the job in waves and potentially disrupt food service during peak travel. Workers say the dispute centers on wages, health coverage, pensions, and what they describe as a lack of respect at the bargaining table.
Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, told county officials the day before the picket that stalled talks have left cooks and servers lagging behind other airport staff doing similar work.
“The cooks and servers there are about $3 or $4 an hour behind the rest of the workers at the airport. The latest proposal is to have no wage increases until next year and it’s $0.25 where we are at with a wage increase. Not paying the proper amount for a health plan or pension plans, so those are in danger too.”
He delivered those remarks at the Clark County Commission, where he pressed elected leaders to pay attention to conditions at Harry Reid International Airport and to the companies operating there.
Union members say they have gone four years without raises and that management proposals would threaten health care benefits, reduce recall rights, and fail to deliver meaningful wage increases. They argue that kitchen and counter staff have absorbed rising costs on family budgets while earning $3 to $4 less per hour than other airport employees with similar duties. The union’s negotiators say the current offer’s $0.25 increase, delayed until next year, falls far short of what workers need to keep up with rent, food, and transportation.
The picket line stretched along terminal entrances and food courts, with workers cycling in during their breaks and off-hours to avoid shutting down day-to-day operations during the demonstration. The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 framed Wednesday’s action as the clearest warning yet to employers that a strike is possible if they do not agree to increases that preserve health and pension benefits. In contract negotiations, union leaders have listed wage increases, protection of health care and pension plans, and basic respect in talks as their core demands. They say they want contracts that match or exceed pay rates for comparable jobs elsewhere in the airport.
The crowd targeted brands widely familiar to travelers because those outlets are run by DBEs, a category of businesses that receive federal recognition and are governed by U.S. Department of Transportation rules. Pappageorge warned that some airport operators could lose their privileged status due to federal changes that bar race- and sex-based contracting criteria, and he urged the county to keep a close watch on compliance.
“The Clark County Commission should protect itself by ensuring that the re-certification process is fast-tracked and that non-compliant operators are not allowed to operate at the Harry Reid International Airport.”
The union also pressed for a transparent and expedited recertification process as the new rules take effect. The federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program and its rule changes are overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation; details are available on the Department’s DBE program page.
The threat of a strike at Harry Reid International Airport adds pressure to the ongoing contract negotiations and could test the airport’s food and beverage operations during one of the busiest times of the year. A coordinated series of short or rolling strikes could lead to sudden closures of coffee stands, sandwich counters, and quick-serve outlets across Terminals 1 and 2. Travelers passing through will recognize the brands at the center of the dispute—Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Jamba Juice, Jersey Mike’s, Nathan’s, Port O’Subs, Wendy’s, American Bagel, and Bagelmania—and may find fewer open counters if staff walk off the job after the deadline.
Union officials described a workforce that is both diverse and long-serving, with many employees working split shifts and handling heavy rushes timed to flight banks. According to the union, 55% of its members are women and 60% are immigrants, with workers hailing from 178 countries and speaking more than 40 languages. Culinary Workers Union Local 226 says it is the largest Latino/a, Black, AAPI, and immigrant organization in Nevada, and leaders argue that the contract should reflect that breadth and the cost-of-living pressures on families across Las Vegas.
The union’s advanced warning of strategic strike actions is designed to give employers time to return to the table while also preparing workers for a walkout if talks do not move. Pappageorge’s comments to the county underscored the urgency. He said the combination of lagging pay and underfunded benefits would put both health coverage and pensions at risk without stronger employer contributions. For line staff who say they have not seen a raise in four years, the prospect of an additional delay followed by a $0.25 increase fuels frustration and pushes more workers to consider a strike. The union argues that the gulf between airport outlets and other similarly situated workers at Harry Reid International Airport has become too wide to ignore.
Negotiations involve ten different companies with 20 locations inside the terminals, which has complicated the path to a single framework for pay and benefits. Union leaders say they have tried to strike deals outlet by outlet where needed, but insist that any agreement must lift pay enough to close the $3 to $4 per hour gap. They say scheduling practices, recall rights during downturns, and the stability of benefits are also central to talks. While Wednesday’s picket was limited to several hours, the union said it was a preview of the disruption that could follow if there is no progress by the deadline.
The Clark County Commission received Pappageorge’s testimony one day ahead of the picket. The airport itself did not feature in the public statements beyond the fact that the outlets operate under county oversight and federal rules for DBE certification. The Culinary Union’s focus on the DBE landscape reflects concern that shifting federal criteria could reshape which operators qualify to run concessions at the airport. Union leaders say any changes must not become an excuse to suppress wages or cut benefits, and they want the county to enforce the rules swiftly so that compliant businesses continue service without long uncertainty.
For travelers, the immediate impact of Wednesday’s demonstration was limited to visible picket lines and leafleting, as union members maintained operations while off-duty staff rallied. But the stakes rise sharply with the strike deadline less than two weeks away. The airport’s steady stream of visitors relies on quick-turn food counters and coffee stands at peak times, and even short rolling strikes could create snags for families and business travelers moving through the concourses. The union said it chose a public picket now to send a clear signal to companies that a work stoppage is imminent if the contract negotiations remain stalled.
Pappageorge’s remarks captured both the demands and the warning.
“The cooks and servers there are about $3 or $4 an hour behind the rest of the workers at the airport. The latest proposal is to have no wage increases until next year and it’s $0.25 where we are at with a wage increase. Not paying the proper amount for a health plan or pension plans, so those are in danger too.”
He followed that by urging the county to act on DBE oversight.
“The Clark County Commission should protect itself by ensuring that the re-certification process is fast-tracked and that non-compliant operators are not allowed to operate at the Harry Reid International Airport.”
The Culinary Union says those two points—fair pay and benefits, and clear rules for who operates at the airport—are at the heart of its push.
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 said it remains open to talks before November 14, 2025, but is preparing members for strategic strike actions if no agreement is reached. The union’s public point of contact for the airport dispute is Bethany Khan at [email protected] and (702) 387-7088. As the deadline approaches, the path forward depends on whether ten employers across 20 outlets can reach terms on wage increases and contributions to health and pension plans that workers accept. If they cannot, the next round of demonstrations at Harry Reid International Airport could come with picket signs in one hand and closed signs on counters across Terminals 1 and 2.
This Article in a Nutshell
On November 5, 2025, about 400 Culinary Workers Union Local 226 members picketed Harry Reid International Airport targeting DBE-operated outlets across Terminals 1 and 2. After four years without raises, the union demands meaningful wage increases, protection of health and pension plans, and stronger recall rights. Leaders set a November 14 strike deadline and warned of strategic short, long, or rolling strikes. They urged Clark County to expedite DBE recertification and enforce compliance to prevent loss of operator privileges.
