FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, May 18th, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Geoconda Argüello-Kline regarding public comment given today to the NVLEG Interim Finance Committee:
Madam Chair and Committee,
As CARES Act money starts to flow to our state, the Culinary Union believes that Nevada must prioritize getting displaced workers back to work and protecting those that will unfortunately remain unemployed.
As gaming companies prepare to reopen casinos, it is imperative that CARES Act money be allocated to:
1)Ensure that all hospitality employees are tested before they return to work, and it is crucial tests are provided with sufficient time for workers to receive results before they are scheduled to return to work.
2)Allocated CARES Act funds should also be used to generate baseline statistics of past and present COVID-19 diagnosis across the workplace, and those statistics should be provided to employees and their union bargaining representatives (as permitted by law).
3)In addition, CARES Act funds should be set aside to assist workers who will face long term unemployment and will be in need of food, housing, and rental assistance.
The Culinary Union is demanding transparency as Nevada casino resorts prepare to reopen, we urge all the elected officials on the Interim Finance Committee to contact the Nevada Gaming Commission and ask them to do two things immediately:
1)Incorporate the Culinary Union’s proposed public health guidelines as a minimum standard in evaluating casino companies’ individual plans.
2)Publicly release all re-opening plans submitted by gaming companies.
Safety is a matter of life and death for workers. Gaming companies have a responsibility to be transparent with Nevadans as our community fights to control this pandemic. The Culinary Union will continue to be vocal on this issue to make sure workers are protected.
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DECLARACIÓN de Geoconda Argüello-Kline con respecto al comentario público hecho hoy al Comité Económico Interino de Legisladores de Nevada:
Sra. Presidenta y Comité,
A medida que el dinero de la ley CARES comienza a entrar a nuestro estado, la Unión Culinaria cree que Nevada debe poner prioridad en regresar a los trabajadores desplazados a sus empleos y en proteger a aquellos que desafortunadamente seguirán desempleados.
Mientras las compañías del juego se preparan para reabrir los casinos, es imprescindible que el dinero proveniente de la ley CARES se destine para:
1) Asegurar que se les haga una prueba a todos los empleados de hotelería antes de que regresen a trabajar, y es esencial que los trabajadores tengan las pruebas con suficiente tiempo para recibir sus resultados antes de ser puestos en los horarios de trabajo.
2) Los fondos de la ley CARES también se deberían usar para generar estadísticas de referencia sobre los diagnósticos de COVID-19 anteriores y actuales en todo el lugar de trabajo, y esas estadísticas se les deberían facilitar a los empleados y a sus representantes de negociaciones sindicales (según lo permita la ley).
3) Además, los fondos de la ley CARES se deberían reservar para ayudar a los trabajadores que enfrentarán desempleo a largo plazo y tendrán necesidad de alimentos, vivienda, y asistencia para su alquiler.
La Unión Culinaria está exigiendo transparencia mientras los casinos turísticos de Nevada se preparan para reabrir, les pedimos encarecidamente a todos los funcionarios electos que componen el Comité de Finanzas Interino que se comuniquen con la Comisión del Juego en Nevada y le pidan que haga dos cosas de inmediato:
1) Que incorpore las pautas de salud pública propuestas por la Unión como estándar mínimo cuando evalúen los planes individuales de las compañías.
2) Que divulgue públicamente todos los planes de reapertura presentados por las compañías de juego.
La seguridad es cuestión de vida o muerte para los trabajadores. Las compañías de juego tienen la responsabilidad de ser transparentes con los nevadenses mientras nuestra comunidad lucha por controlar esta pandemia. La Unión Culinaria seguirá expresándose fuertemente sobre este tema para asegurarse de que los trabajadores estén protegidos.
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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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