FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, November 3, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan ▪ BKhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union members drive voter turnout in Nevada
Endorsement guide: https://www.culinaryunion226.org/blog/text/Election2018.pdf
Bilingual digital voter guide: https://www.culinaryunion226.org/vote
Las Vegas, NV – The Culinary Union, the largest affiliate of UNITE HERE, and one of the strongest political forces in the state is mobilizing workers and immigrant voters to elect politicians who will fight for our families.
The Culinary Union has registered over 10,300 Culinary Union members and their families to vote since the last presidential election and helped over 650 immigrants become American citizens this year. Since the Culinary Union founded the Citizenship Project in 2001, the nonprofit has helped over 18,000 hospitality workers and their families become U.S. Citizens for free. The Culinary Union has over 82,400 members and their families who are registered to vote.
The Culinary Union’s comprehensive political organizing program is the largest political effort in Nevada and is comprised of workers who have taken a union contracted leave-of-absence from their hospitality jobs to talk to their coworkers everyday by phone, in employee dining rooms on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas, and on the doors in neighborhoods in Reno and Las Vegas – a field program unmatched by any other in the country.
The Culinary Union worked with the Las Vegas Strip casino resorts to ensure that thousands of workers were able to vote early everyday of Early Vote (10/20-11/2) during their lunch break at the nearby early Strip vote center with an organized bus program.
The field team, currently comprised of 350 guest room attendants, bartenders, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, and kitchen workers, spend up to 12 hours a day canvassing everyday through Election Day.
Total 2018 political efforts for Primary and General Elections: By the end of Election Day, the Culinary Union’s political field team will have knocked on over 385,000 doors and had quality one-on-on conversations with approximately 84,000 voters across Nevada statewide.
In addition to a robust mail program, where approximately 1,750,000 pieces were mailed to Culinary Union household members, the Culinary Union also has a strong multilingual phone bank program which is entirely run by worker volunteers who make calls in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Amharic, and Chinese. By the end of Election Day, nearly 45,000 personal calls and 520,000 automated calls will have been made to Culinary Union members and their families who are registered voters throughout Nevada.
Culinary Union members, their families, and the public are encouraged to call (702) 383-7917 for a ride to the polls.
Culinary Union GOTV Events:
Media should RSVP to BKhan@CulinaryUnion226.org
- Sunday, November 4:
Canvass launch kickoff with Congresswoman Dina Titus
11am at 1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, NV 89102
- Monday, November 5:
Canvass launch kickoff with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and candidate for senate Jacky Rosen
9am at 1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, NV 89102
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 6:
Largest political team in Nevada launches with over 350 canvassers
6am at 1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, NV 89102
ABOUT THE CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent over 57,000 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 270,000 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 143,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest immigrant organization with over 57,000 members - a diverse membership that is approximately 55% women and 54% Latino. Members - who work as guest room attendants, bartenders, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, and kitchen workers - come from 173 countries and speak over 40 different languages. The Culinary Union has been fighting for fair wages, job security, and good health benefits for working men and women in Nevada for 83 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226