FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding the Primary 2026 Election results:
Culinary Union congratulates Democratic candidate for Governor, Aaron Ford, as well as State Senator Edgar Flores, State Senator James Ohrenschall, Assemblymember and Culinary Union Shop Steward Linda Hunt, and Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom on their victories in the 2026 Primary Election.
This country is in a crisis with gas, groceries, rent, and especially healthcare prices through the roof. As Nevada visitation faces the biggest non-pandemic tourism drop since the 1970s, working families are getting squeezed.
We are fighting back, but we can’t win alone. We need fighters and warriors who will stand with us and take on the hospital corporations that are driving prices up.
That’s why we fought hard during this primary to re-elect Edgar Flores, James Ohrenschall, Linda Hunt, and Tick Segerblom.
They’ve been with us from the picket lines to the legislature and they will continue to fight with us to lower costs, work to protect our healthcare, and stand up to corporate price gouging.
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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 120,000 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% Latino/a, 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 90 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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