Culinary Union calls on Nevada landlords to pledge to respect tenants and freeze rent

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, May 6th, 2020

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088

Culinary Union calls on Nevada landlords to pledge to respect tenants and freeze rent

Las Vegas, NV – Culinary and Bartenders Unions are calling on Nevada landlords to not threaten or intimidate tenants as the COVID-19 public health crisis turns into an economic crisis.

Citing Nevada’s state of emergency eviction moratorium that is in place, the Culinary Union has requested that landlords pledge to freeze rents at their current rate for one calendar year and promptly consult with tenants over post-emergency grace periods and fair payment plans.

“98% of Culinary Union’s 60,000 membership have been put on unpaid furloughs or laid off since mid-March,” said Geoconda Argüello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “A rent freeze, grace periods, and fair payment plans are critical as workers have been abandoned by their gaming industry employers during this global crisis without any further pay.”

The Culinary Union is working with housing advocates and the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada who are assisting Culinary Union members and their families with housing insecurity issues by providing advocacy and free legal assistance.

In addition to asking landlords to post Nevada’s state of emergency eviction moratorium for tenant’s information, the Culinary Union informed landlords that if they threatened tenants or implemented unfair or predatory payment plans, the Culinary Union would let workers know of bad actor landlords and/or rental companies via a Housing Guide for Renters that would be published later this year.

The Culinary Union represents 40,000 workers employed by MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment Corporation who are large and cash-rich. Many workers are still trying to claim their unemployment benefits, as these two gaming companies have not agreed to any further payments after the first two weeks of a nearly seven-week closure.

ABOUT CULINARY UNION:

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America. 

The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members and their dependents.  

The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project. 

The Culinary Union has a diverse membership -- approximately 55% women, 54% Latinx, 19% White, 15% Asian, 10% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples — and consists of guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting for fair wages, job security, and good health benefits for workers in Nevada for 85 years.  

CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226 

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