FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, May 14, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Geoconda Argüello-Kline regarding updated CDC vaccine and mask guidance:
Since March 2020, the Culinary Union has been fighting to protect hospitality workers and their families during the COVID-19 crisis.
Over a year later, it’s clear that there has been no organization in Nevada that has done what the Culinary Union has done to protect workers, extend health care for 18 months, keep working families in their homes, provide essential food assistance daily, enforce worker’s rights on-the-job, deliver Nevada for Biden/Harris and pass much-needed relief for Nevadans, ensure workers are safe at work by passing the first and only-in-the-nation COVID worker safety law (SB4), and we continue to push for SB3866 in the Nevada Legislature so workers can have the Right to Return to their jobs as the economy recovers.
The Culinary Union was the first organization in Nevada to call for a mask mandate in early May 2020 and we continue to follow science as the CDC has issued updated guidelines. Some employers are still requiring workers to wear a mask and some are not.
The Culinary Union will remain vigilant to ensure workers are protected at work and urge hospitality employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine as they are safe, proven, and effective. If workers are vaccinated, they do not have to wear a mask as the employer has directed, but if anyone wants to continue wearing their mask, that is their right and they should be treated with kindness and respect.
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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 for working families in Nevada for 86 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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