MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan ▪ BKhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
*Tomorrow's (9/12 at 11:30am) picket at Palace Station is cancelled as the company has agreed to a resolution. The Culinary Union fought to ensure all workers were retained and offered extended recall rights when new venues at the casino hotel reopen.*
Workers to picket at Palace Station as the casino plans to close Grand Café
WHAT: Hundreds of hospitality workers to picket outside of the Palace Station Hotel & Casino as the Culinary Union fights to protect 75 workers affected with upcoming closures at the Grand Café.
WHO: Station Casino workers. Culinary and Bartenders Unions members. Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, Geoconda Argüello-Kline, and President for the Culinary Union, Ted Pappageorge. Workers from Nevada AFL-CIO member unions.
WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, September 12, 2018 from 11:30am - 1:00pm
Workers will be available on the picket line for interviews in English and Spanish.
WHY:
As Station Casinos invests $192 million in renovations at Palace Station, approximately 75 workers are slated to be affected by layoffs and termination at Palace Station’s Grand Café. Some workers have already bid into other jobs at the property, but many bartenders and workers remain under threat of termination as the venue closes for a 4-month renovation. The Culinary Union is fighting to ensure all workers are retained and offered extended recall rights when new venues at the casino hotel reopen.
BACKGROUND:
Workers at Palace Station are represented by the Culinary Workers and Bartenders Union following an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board in October 2016. Workers at Boulder Station, Green Valley Ranch Resort and Palms Casinos also voted to unionize in NLRB elections over the last two years. Negotiations between the Union and Stations remain on-going at Palace and Boulder Station. Meanwhile, Station Casinos is defying federal law by refusing to negotiate in good faith at Palms and Green Valley Ranch.
In 2010, workers at Station Casinos started a public organizing drive. A super majority of workers in the classifications that Culinary and Bartenders’ traditionally represents (which includes most of the hotel and food and beverage workers in a casino hotel) signed a public petition to demand a fair process to exercise their right to choose whether to unionize. The union subsequently filed for elections at the four properties named above.
The Culinary and Bartenders Unions encourage Nevada locals, elected officials, political candidates, and tourists to support workers by not patronizing hotels and casinos under a labor dispute. Please support workers who are fighting for justice and do not cross picket lines at Palace Station.
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