FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, February 5, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Geoconda Argüello-Kline regarding Governor Sisolak’s Equity and Fairness Initiative:
Communities of color, who have highest incidents of COVID-19 infection rates and deaths due to the virus, need equitable access to the vaccine. That includes the 60,000 frontline unionized hospitality workers who work in casinos and throughout the resort industry in Nevada.
The Culinary Union applauds Governor Sisolak’s Equity and Fairness Initiative to include and prioritize allocation to Black and brown communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of COVID-19.
UPDATE ON CULINARY UNION MEMBERS: 115 Culinary and Bartenders Union members and/or their immediate family members have died from COVID-19, with 1,194 hospitalized due to the virus since March 1.
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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 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 for working families in Nevada for 86 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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