FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding President Biden’s announcement:
Culinary Union celebrates President Joe Biden's transformative administration and honors his decision to not seek re-election.
President Biden is a champion of workers and under his leadership, the most pro-union policies have been implemented. The National Labor Relations Board has held employers, like Station Casinos, accountable, and his plan (that was announced last week in Las Vegas) to cap rent increases and protect working families, stands in stark contrast to Trump Republicans, who refuse to take on price-gouging Wall Street landlords, big corporations, and the super rich.
We know firsthand that he leads with his heart and we recognize our dear friend President Biden for his years of service, and we will continue to work alongside him to win for working people over the next six months. His legacy will be celebrated as his impact will be felt for decades to come.
Thank you, President Biden, for your leadership.
The Culinary Union also acknowledges Vice President Kamala Harris who has been a steadfast supporter of Culinary Union members and working people, and we are confident in her ability to continue the progress we’ve made.
By being united and staying focused on an economic message — addressing corporate price gouging on gas, groceries, and housing — we will defeat Donald Trump and extremism to ensure a future where working people can thrive.
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UNITE HERE Statement on President Biden’s Announcement -
UNITE HERE thanks President Joe Biden for being the most pro-labor president, and for standing with our Union for decades, even before becoming president. As President, he has shown his commitment to working families every day by leveraging the full power of his administration to safeguard our jobs and workplace rights. He was the first president to walk a picket line with striking workers. Vice President Kamala Harris has played a crucial role in these achievements, saving the pensions of one million union members and retirees, securing 100% free COBRA healthcare for laid-off workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensuring an extraordinarily pro-union National Labor Relations Board and General Counsel. Her actions saved livelihoods and lives.
This election is not only about choosing who will lead the country: it’s about deciding whether workers will continue to move forward or if we will face significant setbacks under an anti-union and anti-worker Trump/Vance administration.
Our Union leads the nation’s largest labor-led canvassing program, and our canvassers’ organizing skills make them uniquely effective. UNITE HERE canvassers know that talking to voters about the issues that matter to them most is what drives voters to the polls, and going door-to-door to organize voters is even more important when candidates change. Between now and November, UNITE HERE members will knock over 3.3 million doors in Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and Michigan to make sure that workers’ voices are heard at the ballot box.
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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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