FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding Blackstone’s announcement to give nearly $30 million to Cosmopolitan employees:
The Culinary Union applauds Blackstone’s announcement that they will give nearly $30 million ($5,000 each) to Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas employees. It’s the right thing for a company to share a portion of their profits with employees who have worked so hard to make the property successful.
We congratulate the Cosmopolitan workers who are Culinary Union members on their recognition and we celebrate their achievements. Workers have put in the work everyday to build the company to be what it is today and it’s good to see Blackstone recognize their employees.
The Culinary Union encourages other gaming companies to follow Blackstone’s actions by recognizing their workers as integral members of their company, being neutral as workers choose whether to organize, and agreeing to a strong union contract that provides for all of these protections.
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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 Latinx/Black/AAPI/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 which is 55% women and 45% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latinx, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 87 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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