FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding AB213, AB298, AB340, AB354, AB456, SB92, SB210, SB262, SB275, SB335, SB381, SB406, SB496, and SB509:
AB213 (Expanding affordable housing production):
Nevada has an affordable housing crisis and the State needs to expedite the production of additional affordable housing as much as possible while maintaining the health and safety of Nevadans.
If the State is going to resolve its housing crisis and ensure Nevadans have sufficient water in coming years, housing must be built more densely. Combining production of affordable housing and higher density housing is sound public policy.
Nevada’s housing crisis is the responsibility of every level of government and every level of government has a responsibility to ensure speedy approval of affordable housing production.
While the Culinary Union is supportive of other efforts to ensure that the burden of the housing crisis doesn’t fall on the backs of working families, including policies like Neighborhood Stability - which would ensure rent increases do not increase faster than wages, we also recognize the need to prepare a path out of this housing crisis, and recognize this bill as an important part of that effort.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass Assembly Bill 213.
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AB298 (Protecting home for Nevadans):
Assembly Bill 298 addresses the predatory behavior that has been on the rise in the rental market in the last few years and which is damaging Nevada. As recently stated by Governor Lombardo’s team at GOED, lack of affordable housing is one significant barrier to economic development in Nevada, this bill will protect Nevada’s residents and our economy by making Nevada’s housing market more affordable and predictable.
In a 2022 survey of Culinary Union members, 21% said that their rent had gone up $500, 21% said that they are charged monthly fees in addition to rent, and 15% said that they pay more than $100 in fees each month. Rent increases have outpaced wage growth: From the 1st quarter of 2019 through the 2nd quarter of 22, market-rate rent in Las Vegas increased 33.1% while average weekly earnings only grew 21.4%. In 2021, investors bought 18% of homes in Las Vegas metro, in some areas of the metro, investor purchases accounted for as much as 26%, over a quarter, of homes sold.
According to the January Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, 49.8% of adults in Nevada experienced “difficulty paying for the usual household expenses in the last 7 days” and in the first week of 2023, Las Vegas had the most eviction filings among major U.S. cities.
While the Culinary Union supports the stronger measures contained in Senator Fabian Donate’s Senate Bill 78, the provisions of this bill pertaining to application fees and tenant transparency for other fines and fees would be a step in the right direction.
The Culinary Union believes that every Nevadan deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Nevadans should not have to decide between having food on the table or a roof over their heads. Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass AB298.
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AB340 (Reforming evictions and protecting tenants):
The COVID-19 pandemic hit Culinary Union members and our families incredibly hard.
While many hospitality workers have returned to work, Culinary Union members have not recovered from the effects of the pandemic and thousands are struggling with housing insecurity. The Culinary Union is a member of the Nevada Housing Justice Alliance (NHJA) and we would like to thank the sponsor for bringing this bill and for working with the NHJA.
Nevada must change the filing order for summary evictions because tenants should have the right to due process when threatened with losing their home. Nevada’s summary eviction process is unique in the United States and it is the only civil procedure in Nevada that requires the defendant to file the initial notice with the court. This is bad and confusing public policy which negatively impacts Nevadans and Culinary Union members. Every Nevadan deserves an affordable and stable home, and an eviction should never be a surprise.
Working families and people of color are disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity and the Culinary Union believes that every Nevadan deserves to be treated with dignity - and that housing is a human right. Nevadans should not have to decide between having food on the table or a roof over their head.
Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass AB354.
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AB354 (Voter protections at the polls):
The Culinary Union was very troubled by attempts by right wing groups to intimidate voters with firearms in neighboring states in 2022.
Intimidation has no part in our electoral process. All voters should be free to exercise their fundamental democratic rights absent of fear.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass AB354.
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AB456 (Preventing train derailments):
The Culinary Union supports Assembly Bill 456 because ensuring basic safety regulations for trains moving through Nevada is good public policy and would help prevent train derailments, protecting Culinary Union members, and all Nevadans.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass AB456.
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SB92 (Supporting street food vendors):
The Culinary Union supports Senate Bill 92 because the state should not be in the business of criminalizing entrepreneurialism.
Many street food vendors, some of whom are the immediate and extended family of Culinary Union members, are immigrants who are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families and Nevada should be supporting them in that goal.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass Senate Bill 92.
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SB210 (Supporting representation in Nevada’s government):
The Culinary Union is proud of Nevada’s diversity and supports SB210.
Culinary Union members come from 178 countries, speak over 40 different languages, and live in geographically diverse areas across the state. A majority of Culinary Union members are women and workers reflect the rich diversity of Nevada.
Culinary Union strongly believes that Nevada’s diversity is its strength and that the State’s boards and commissions should be reflective of its membership of 60,000 hospitality workers.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass SB210.
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SB262 (Allowing all Nevadans to serve on State Boards):
As the largest organization of immigrants in the state of Nevada, the Culinary Union supports Senate Bill 262 and thanks Senator Flores for bringing the bill forward.
Culinary Union members come from 178 countries, and many U.S. born Culinary members have household members who are immigrants who are not yet U.S. Citizens.
The State is losing out on valuable talent and numerous citizen advisory councils and town advisory boards are not truly representative of Nevada’s neighborhoods because hundreds of thousands of Nevadans are disqualified from participating in non-elected bodies - just because they are not U.S. citizens.
SB262 recognizes the value of every resident's investment in their community, regardless of their status or background. This bill allows all residents to serve on advisory boards, promotes diverse and representative leadership, and increases community engagement.
SB262 also allows more residents to take on local leadership roles and participate in local government, including Nevadans and immigrants who may not yet be citizens. This means that everyone's voice is heard, and everyone has a say in their community's well-being.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass SB262.
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SB275 (Neighborhood Stability for mobile homes):
The Culinary Union believes that Nevadans deserve Neighborhood Stability and thanks the sponsor for bringing the bill forward.
Neighborhood Stability is essential because long-time residents are being pushed out of their homes, senior citizens (whose rent increases exceed monthly Social Security payments) are forced to rely on taxpayer-funded assistance or are evicted, saving up for a down-payment can be an impossible hurdle for first-time homebuyers when their rents go up faster than the cost of living, the loss of stable families in a community results in student turnover in our public schools, increased pressure on a student’s mental health, and local business suffer when customers need to move or cut back on spending when rent goes up.
In a 2022 survey of Culinary Union members, 21% said that their rent had gone up $500, 21% said that they are charged monthly fees in addition to rent, and 15% said that they pay more than $100 in fees each month. Rent increases have outpaced wage growth: From the 1st quarter of 2019 through the 2nd quarter of 22, market-rate rent in Las Vegas increased 33.1% while average weekly earnings only grew 21.4%.
According to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, 49.8% of adults in Nevada experienced “difficulty paying for the usual household expenses in the last 7 days” and in the first week of 2023, Las Vegas had the most eviction filings among major U.S. cities.
The Nevada Legislature needs to do something to ensure that Nevadans are not forced out of their neighborhoods as a result of rising rents.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass SB275.
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SB335 (Reforming evictions & protecting tenants):
Culinary Union members have not recovered from the effects of the pandemic and thousands are struggling with housing insecurity. The Culinary Union is a member of the Nevada Housing Justice Alliance (NHJA), and we would like to thank the Senator for bringing this bill and for working with the NHJA.
In a 2022 survey of Culinary Union members, 21% said that their rent had gone up $500, 21% said that they are charged monthly fees in addition to rent, and 15% said that they pay more than $100 in fees each month. Rent increases have outpaced wage growth: From the 1st quarter of 2019 through the 2nd quarter of 22, market-rate rent in Las Vegas increased 33% while average weekly earnings only grew 21%. In 2021, investors bought 18% of homes in Las Vegas metro, in some areas of the metro, investor purchases accounted for as much as 26%, over a quarter, of homes sold.
According to the January Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, 49.8% of adults in Nevada experienced “difficulty paying for the usual household expenses in the last 7 days.” Already, in the first week of 2023, Las Vegas had the most eviction filings among major U.S. cities.
Nevada must change the filing order for summary evictions because tenants should have the right to due process when threatened with losing their home. Nevada’s summary eviction process is bad and confusing public policy. Every Nevadan deserves an affordable and stable home, and an eviction should never be a surprise.
The State must ensure that rental assistance programs actually helps keep Nevadans in their homes. A tenant shouldn’t get evicted because the government is late on cutting a check or hasn’t yet processed their application for assistance.
The Culinary Union believes that every Nevadan deserves to be treated with dignity and that housing is a human right. Nevadans should not have to decide between having food on the table or a roof over their head.
The Culinary Union urges the committee to support and pass SB335.
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SB381 (Tenant protections from excessive fines and fees):
The Culinary Union supports Senate Bill 381 and thank the sponsor for bringing this bill forward.
The Culinary Union believes that landlords should make money off of rent, not off of unpredictable fees.
Repairs, which are required by law to be conducted, are a normal cost of business and landlords should factor that into the amount charged for rent. Tenants deserve transparency and regularity with regard to what their costs are going to be.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass SB381.
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SB406 (Protecting Nevada’s election workers):
The Culinary Union runs the largest field political campaigns in both Las Vegas and Reno. In 2022, during the Midterms, Culinary Union knocked on more than 1,000,000 doors statewide - that is more than half of the Black and Latinx voters and more than one-third of Asian American Pacific Islander voters in Nevada.
As a result, the Culinary Union has frequent interactions with election workers at both the state and local levels. Nevada is fortunate to have some of the best election laws and election workers in the nation. Election officials in Nevada have truly been good public servants who are primarily interested in making sure that every eligible Nevadan who wishes to cast a vote is able to, and that their vote is counted.
The Culinary Union has witnessed the unfortunate rise of authoritarian tendencies in American politics, and unfortunately, Nevada wasn't spared. Nevada's elections are safe, secure, and legitimate, but those who do not believe this fact are increasingly a threat—not just to the electoral process, but also to the safety of Nevada's election workers and their families.
The democratic process should be entirely free of intimidation and coercion, and the State has a duty to ensure that this is true, and that Nevada's election workers are treated with dignity, respect, and the safety they deserve. SB406 is a commonsense measure that will protect election workers and Nevada's democracy.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass SB406.
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SB496 (Expand Nevada’s film tax credits):
The Culinary Union has worked to create and protect a high-standard for workers in Las Vegas and workers at any studio must receive the pay, benefits, and worker protections associated with that standard, and have their right to form a union respected.
Nevada needs to diversify its economy to weather future downturns and the Culinary Union supports efforts to do so.
The Nevada Legislature must ensure essential services and programs that Nevadans need are not harmed by the implementation of the significant amount of transferable tax credits created by SB496.
Benefits stemming from the passage of SB496 must benefit working families, not just those in wealthy neighborhoods, this includes ensuring that Nevadans are trained for the jobs associated with the projects and that Nevadans receive those jobs.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass SB496.
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SB509 (A’s coming to Las Vegas):
The Culinary Union supports SB509 now that the involved parties have come to an agreement that’s good for workers in Southern Nevada.
While the Culinary Union avoids picking sides between different unionized employers, the largest labor union in Nevada supports the A’s decision to partner with the unionized Tropicana Las Vegas.
The Culinary Union will negotiate to ensure that Tropicana workers’ rights under the contract are strictly followed so that workers have additional compensation, health care coverage, and pension benefits while the property is closed for redevelopment. Culinary Union contracts include strong language on layoff, recall, seniority, training, and placement so that unionized workers will have access to free job training and continued benefits during closure, seniority rights of first-access to job openings if the property reopens, and placement into other job opportunities as they are available.
The Culinary Union applauds the A’s on agreeing to card check neutrality language to allow the workers at the stadium to freely choose whether to unionize, and the Culinary Union looks forward to the labor management relationship that will come with Major League Baseball arrival in Las Vegas.
The Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass SB509.
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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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