FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding AB340 (Reforming evictions & protecting tenants):
“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,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “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.’ 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 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 so the Culinary Union urges the Nevada Legislature to support and pass AB340.”
“I was born and raised in Las Vegas, but I feel like I’m being pushed out by landlords that don’t even live here. I was living in my home since 2017, but the moment the COVID-19 pandemic hit, my landlord started trying to evict me,” said Kimberly Ireland, a bell desk dispatcher on the Las Vegas Strip and a Culinary Union member for 14 years. “The landlord stopped fixing things, had the water shutoff on me, and even the AC stopped working. The landlord wasn’t working with rental assistance programs, so I started the process for a court mediation, but that didn’t happen. Once the the court date for my eviction was set, it seemed like the law was on the side of the landlord and as a tenant, I felt like the system completely let me down. I now have an eviction on my record and it’s been hard to find a quality, long-term, and affordable home to rent. The eviction process is confusing and hurts working families. I support AB340 because it would protect Nevadans like me.”
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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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