STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding SB78 (Protecting renters from predatory fines & fees):

ONLINE / TWEET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088

STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding SB78 (Protecting renters from predatory fines & fees):

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted Culinary Union members and our families incredibly hard. While many hospitality workers have returned to work, Culinary Union members have not fully recovered from the effects of the pandemic and thousands are struggling with housing insecurity. Senate Bill 78 addresses the predatory behavior that has been on the rise in the rental market in the last few years and which is hurting working families. 

As recently stated by the Governor Lombardo’s team at GOED, the 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 the State's housing market more affordable and predictable.

Regulating application fees, connecting other fines and fees to cost, and requiring transparency around fees will help keep Culinary Union members in their homes. Landlords should not be profiting off of predatory applications fees, and if they are going to charge other fees to tenants, tenants deserve transparency about what their total cost burden will be.

The Culinary Union believes that every Nevadan deserves to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected. Nevadans should not have to decide between having food on the table or a roof over their heads. The Culinary Union urges the committee to support and pass SB78. 

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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