FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Geoconda Argüello-Kline regarding Senator Harry Reid's passing:
The Culinary Union is proud to have called Senator Harry Reid a friend for over 50 years. Senator Reid was a true champion of working families in Nevada and he always stood in solidarity with workers.
Knowing that we could count on his support was always a source of strength for Culinary Union members over the years. His friendship was essential as we fought to ensure that hospitality jobs in Las Vegas could be middle-class jobs with fair wages, good benefits, including free healthcare and a pension, and job security.
Senator Reid was instrumental in expanding The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas training programs to ensure that the West Las Vegas community wasn’t left behind and that hospitality employees, especially Black and brown workers, were able to move up in their careers.
We are proud to have worked alongside Senator Reid in the fight for comprehensive worker-centered immigration reform and protecting workers’ rights. We treasure the memory of when he said, “There is only one way to win a campaign, you fight and you win. You don’t lay down. You stand firm and do what you say you are going to do.”
We will always remember Senator Reid as a fierce advocate for Nevadans and a true fighter for workers throughout his political career and life. As we celebrate Senator Reid’s legacy, the Culinary Union will strive to carry on the work to ensure Nevada is a state where working people can have economic, gender, and racial justice.
Rest in power, Senator Reid.
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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 for working families in Nevada for 87 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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