MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 11am
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union will launch a ballot initiative campaign to win Neighborhood Stability
Las Vegas, NV - The Culinary Union will launch a campaign to win Neighborhood Stability by working with residents and communities allies to advance a ballot initiative.
WHO:
*Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for Culinary Union
*Diana Valles, President of the Culinary Union
*5 residents who comprise the Neighborhood Stability Ordinance petitioners’ committee
*Culinary Union members
*Station Casino workers
*Community allies
WHAT: Press conference to go over the details of the ballot initiative.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 11am Pacific.
WHERE: Culinary Union’s “John Wilhelm Big Hall” (1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, Nevada 89102).
Livestream: www.Facebook.com/Culinary226. Media must RSVP for access.
WHY:
Nationwide, the burden of rising rents falls heaviest on Black and Latinx renters: A majority of Black (57%) and Latinx (52%) families rent their homes (Washington Post, April 2022). There is not a single state, metro area or county in the United States where a typical minimum-wage worker can afford a two-bedroom rental, according to a recent study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Rent has gone up 3 times faster than inflation and local rent hikes have far outpaced cost-of-living increases. In Southern Nevada, median hourly wages rose only 5% from 2019 to 2021 according to the BLS. Low-wage workers are also disproportionately impacted. In March 2022, 39% of Nevadans had difficulty paying for housing-related expenses according to the federal government’s survey data.
Home prices are up 23% in the Las Vegas Valley year-over-year.Especially given 8.5% inflation (March 2021-March 2022), that makes buying a home is extraordinarily difficult for working families. Since 2020, the average monthly asking rent for apartments in the Las Vegas area has risen 30% (Nevada Independent, February 2022). According to the Washington Post, the average rent in Clark County is $1,376, which is up an average of 28.5% since 2019.
The top 10 apartment owners in Nevada own 26.4% of total available units, the largest owner in state is the Westland Real Estate Group which is based in Long Beach, California.
In a 2022 survey of Culinary Union members, 21% of respondents said that their rent had gone up $500.
—
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
###