MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
*** MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2026 AT 12PM ***
Booker, Cortez Masto, Culinary Union to Call for Senate Passage of Bipartisan Faster Labor Contracts Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), , and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 will host a press conference to call on the Senate to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act legislation that would guarantee workers who vote to form a union a first contract without years of delay.
Workers who vote to unionize currently wait well over a year on average for a first contract, and many never get one at all. The faster Labor Contracts Act would require employers to begin bargaining within 10 days of a union’s request, bring in federal mediation if no agreement is reached within 90 days, and send the dispute arbitration if mediation fails. The House passed the bill in June by a vote of 230-193 with the support of 20 Republicans after a discharge petition forced a floor vote. The Senate companion, led by Sen. Booker and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), is now awaiting action.
WHO:
*U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), lead Democratic sponsor of the Faster Labor Contracts Act
*U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
*Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer, Culinary Workers Union Local 226
*Hospitality workers employed at Station Casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada
WHAT: Press conference calling for the Senate Passage of the Faster Labor Contracts Act (S.844).
WHEN: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 12:00PM ET
WHERE: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (SVC 208) in Washington, DC. Underneath the East Front plaza of the U.S. Capitol (First St. and East Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20515).
WHY:
“We're also currently in a four-year federal labor trial with Station Casinos, after over a decade of workers being denied the chance to have a union. The federal government sued Station Casinos in the largest labor law case in American history, alleging the company broke election law and discriminated against union supporters,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Union. “Station Casinos workers have voted in National Labor Relations Board elections and have been negotiating for a union contract for years. Over 16 years after a majority of workers demanded in a public petition to form a union and bargain with Station Casinos, the company continues to refuse to reach a fair contract. The Culinary Union and Stations Casinos’ workers demand justice, applaud Senators Booker and Cortez Masto for their continued leadership, and urges the swift passage of the Faster Labor Contracts Act."
“I've been working at Station Casinos since 1991, but I still have nothing to show for it,” said Casiano Corpus Jr., a casino porter employed at Station Casinos’ Palace Station Casinos for 34 years in Las Vegas, Nevada. “I wear my union button every day inside non-union Station Casinos and I'm proud because a union contract there could provide a better life for our families and give us a voice and representation. When I retire after two decades with this company, I don’t have a retirement pension. I’m not a second class worker and I believe that we deserve the same pension and raises the Culinary Union members have. I will not stop until we finish this fight and I know for sure we will win a union contract at Station Casinos.”
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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 120,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latino/a, 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 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latino/a, 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 90 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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