FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 28, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union and UNITE HERE announce boycott of Rampart Casino, inquire about gaming license -
Las Vegas, NV – Today, the Culinary Union and UNITE HERE is calling for a boycott of Rampart Casino at the Resort in Summerlin and asking customers to not patronize the property. UNITE HERE Local 40 members who work at a Lalji family-owned hotel engaged in a prolonged labor dispute in Vancouver, Canada travelled to Las Vegas and the Culinary Union asked questions in public comment before the Nevada Gaming Commission about the Rampart Casino gaming license of Shirazalli Jafferali Lalji, who died March 28, 2020, but was listed as having an active gaming license until March 21, 2024.
“For decades the Culinary Union has fought and won higher standards in the Las Vegas hospitality industry, from the Las Vegas Strip to Downtown to the locals market and our International Union of guest room attendants, cocktail servers, restaurant workers, bartenders, laundry and food service workers has a long history of protecting and advancing these standards through organizing, bargaining, strikes, and boycotts,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “We are concerned that a Lalji family business is engaged in a labor dispute in Vancouver totally at odds with these standards, and we fully support the strikers of UNITE HERE Local 40.”
The Culinary Union continues to inquire about the Lalji gaming license at Rampart Casino, specifically: Why a deceased Mr. Lalji was listed as having a gaming license for almost four years after his death, and why is a deceased Mr. Lalji still (as of March 27), reported on the Nevada Gaming Control Board location details report as active within the Rampart Casino ownership structure.
Shirazalli Jafferali Lalji was listed as an active beneficiary and director within the ownership structure of the Rampart Casino at the Resort at Summerlin, according to a Nevada Gaming Control Board location details report for the property for March 15, 2024.
On March 21, the Culinary Union gave public comment to the Nevada Gaming Commission about Mr. Lalji, asking the Commission for clarification on whether Mr. Lalji should be removed. That day the Nevada Gaming Control Board changed Mr. Lalji’s status, as shown on the report, from “beneficiary and director” to “removed.” The report lists Mr. Lalji as deceased within the casino’s ownership structure, but the report continues to list him as “active.”
Shirazali Jafferali Lalji died March 28, 2020, according to United Kingdom government probate records. A will from 2004 for a Shirazalli Jafferali Lalji of London appoints his brother Aminmohamed Jafferali Lalji and other family as executors and trustees.Amin Lalji is the president of Richmond Inn Investments, Ltd., which owns the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel in Vancouver, Canada.
The British Columbia Federation of Labour, representing nearly 50 affiliated unions with approximately 500,000 members across the province, has declared a public boycott of the hotel complex that includes the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, which is in the Richmond area of Vancouver. In January, the Richmond City Council passed a motion to not use three hotels (including that Sheraton) until a new collective agreement is reached.
“Sheraton is a top destination for people landing at the Vancouver International Airport and is known to be one of the largest and busiest hotels in the Lower Mainland and a majority of hotel staff are women and immigrants. But the cost of living in Vancouver and rent has skyrocketed while our wages haven't kept up. We won’t let companies leave us behind and we’ll fight until we win,” said Shaelyn Arnould, a 24-year-old Starbucks Food Service Worker at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport for 5 years.
“I’m on the picket line fighting for a living wage and to be able to have a family in my city” said Felisha Perry, a Banquet Server at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport for 6 years. “Everyday life is hard when you are struggling to keep up with rising costs for rent, gas, insurance, and groceries. Our ongoing strike is fundamentally about earning enough to live.”
On March 1 the Culinary Union sent letters to Mr. Ferenc Szony and Mr. David Ross of the Rampart Casino at the Resort at Summerlin, asking them to speak with the Lalji family. Neither have responded.
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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 60% 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 89 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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