FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 21, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding the Oakland A’s coming to Las Vegas:
The Culinary Union has been actively meeting with the Oakland Athletics for over a year.
The Culinary Union does not have an agreement with the A’s for card check neutrality, which means that the company has not yet agreed to be neutral as workers, who will be employed at the proposed stadium, choose whether to unionize.
That is concerning, especially since every baseball player on the Oakland Athletics’ roster is protected by a union contract. Hospitality workers serving customers and players at any future stadium, should also be protected and have a choice on whether to be union.
Culinary Union has been in communication with the Clark County Commission and the Nevada Legislature on this topic, especially in regard to any potential public funds being utilized as a deal continues to be worked out. We encourage all stakeholders to continue to perform the necessary due diligence to ensure the interests of Nevadans are protected. Culinary Union will advocate to ensure that any proposed stadium is built by the local building trade unions, operated with good union jobs, and that any taxpayer funds - which are needed for community benefits, public services, and education are protected and all proposals throughly vetted.
Nevada is going through a transformation and Culinary Union will continue to advocate so that workers are not left behind, our jobs are good union jobs, and elected leaders continue to center working families in any deliberations.
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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 88 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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