FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, July 4, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding No Taxes on Tips:
The Culinary Union supports tax relief for working-class tip earners. In the Reconciliation bill that Congress just passed, unfortunately tax relief for workers is temporary, while windfall tax cuts for billionaires and the rich are permanent. Millions of Americans will also lose access to health care and essential economic programs.
Nevada Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, along with Congressman Steven Horsford proposed amendments to expand and make the tip tax credits permanent, but the Republicans refused to hear those amendments.
Culinary Union will closely monitor as the U.S. Treasury develops regulations for the new tax policy to make sure it benefits working-class taxpayers as promised.
The price of groceries, gas, and housing keeps going up and working families are paying sky-high car and home insurance premiums, while campaign promises of relief have been forgotten. Instead, this administration has focused on arresting dishwashers and gardeners, and attacking our strongest international allies and customers with wild tariffs, threats, and claims of annexation.
As a result, visitation to Las Vegas is down. Companies are scrambling for workers and stability, and many are concerned that layoffs and a Trump recession may be around the corner. We’ve all worked so hard to rebuild this economy after COVID - we cannot afford to let reckless policies destroy it.
Working families deserve better.
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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% 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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