MEDIA ADVISORY
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Media Contact:
Bethany Khan ▪ BKhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
UNITE HERE’s Culinary Union Election Week
“This is the Year of the Immigrant Voter,” says Nevada’s Largest Labor Union and Immigrant Organization
What:
UNITE HERE’s Culinary Union has the largest and strongest political operation in the battleground state of Nevada with over 150 hospitality workers from Las Vegas to make sure Democrats win up and down the ballot.
Culinary Union members are joined in Nevada by 150 UNITE HERE members from 10 states ranging from Hawaii to New Jersey. UNITE HERE is also leading political programs in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
The UNITE HERE and Culinary Union’s political programs are built on the tenacity and grit of housekeepers, cooks, cocktail waitresses, food servers, bellmen, and porters who take a leave of absence from their regular jobs to talk to voters throughout the state.
UNITE HERE members from Nevada and California have knocked on over 250,000 doors in greater Las Vegas and Reno and talked to almost 70,000 voters in the past two months.
ELECTION WEEK EVENTS OPEN TO MEDIA:
Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, Geoconda Arguello-Kline, political organizers, and Trump Hotel Las Vegas workers will be available for interviews in English and Spanish. To schedule, please contact Bethany Khan at bkhan@culinaryunion226.org.
- Monday, November 7: Culinary Union (1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, NV 89102)
9am-6pm: The political team will be participating in a massive get-out-the-vote effort including phone banking and signing voters up for Election Day rides. Over 300 workers will canvass and are available to ride along with and/or interview before they leave for a day out in the neighborhoods of Las Vegas, Reno, and Sparks.
- ELECTION DAY: Tuesday, November 8: Culinary Union (1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, NV 89102)
6am: Over 400 Culinary Union and UNITE HERE union members and staff will rally before heading out into the field to canvass and drive voters to the voting locations throughout the day.
7:30pm: After last knock, the political team heads back to the Culinary Union for final check in, quick dinner, and to watch live streaming results. A Las Vegas Mariachi band will celebrate with us at the end of Election Day GOTV.
8:30pm: Hundreds of Culinary Union/UNITE HERE political organizers, and Trump Hotel Las Vegas workers to arrive at Aria Hotel & Casino (3730 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89158) for Election Night watch party. Trump Hotel Las Vegas workers and political organizers will be available for interviews.
- Wednesday, November 9: Culinary Union (1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, NV 89102)
11am: UNITE HERE will host a national video-conference with simultaneous feeds from four state: Nevada (Las Vegas/Reno), Arizona (Phoenix), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), and Florida (Miami/Orlando) highlighting field canvassers and leaders who moved voters on the ground. Phone-in option available for people to call in from other locations. Please contact Bethany at bkhan@culinaryunion226.org to RSVP.
UNITE HERE’s political priority this election cycle is to protect the health care benefits of the 156 million Americans (including union members) who get insurance through their jobs. UNITE HERE and the Culinary Union both endorsed Hillary Clinton and promised to deliver Nevada for her campaign. In addition, UNITE HERE has endorsed candidates in twelve key Senate races nationally who have committed to protect worker healthcare from Republican tax schemes.
1pm: The Culinary Union will host a joint press conference in Las Vegas with partners who are working on building long-term power to achieve legislative victories like comprehensive immigration reform; groups will also highlight their field numbers. Press conference will include: UNITE HERE, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund, Center for Community Change Action, Latino Victory Project, and America’s Voice.
- Thursday, November 10: Federal Courthouse (333 South Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas, NV 89101)
TIME TBD: Joint press conference with the Nevada State AFL-CIO and union partners regarding the Labor Votes 2016 program.
Labor and community partners are coming together to announce the agenda they want to see enacted now that the election is over. They will call on newly elected and returning members of Congress – Democrats and Republicans – to put the election behind them and get to work on a progressive economic agenda.
Why:
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest immigrant organization with over 57,000 members - a diverse membership that is approximately 55% women and 56% Latino. Members -who work as guest room attendants, bartenders, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, and kitchen workers- come from 167 countries and speak over 40 different languages. The Culinary Union has been fighting for fair wages, job security, and good health benefits for working men and women in Nevada for over 81 years.
The top leadership of UNITE HERE International Union, a largely immigrant hospitality workers organization in the United States and Canada, resolved in May to deliver union strongholds to candidates who will protect workers’ healthcare and rights as immigrants. In addition to direct candidate contributions and significant voter registration and turnout efforts, the union launched a new PAC to target Republicans who plan to tax worker healthcare.
*BLOG: A day-in-the-life of political organizer – Carmela: http://www.culinaryunion226.org/blog/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-culinary-union-political-organizer-carmela
*PROFILES: Culinary Union political organizers: https://www.facebook.com/Culinary226/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1233833163339695
*PHOTOS: Culinary Union members vote early at the Las Vegas Strip site:
https://www.facebook.com/Culinary226/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1234877913235220
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WHO WE ARE
UNITE HERE is a labor union that represents 270,000 working people across North America. Our members work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries. Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 in Nevada are together the largest affiliate of UNITE HERE. They represent over 57,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas.
The membership of UNITE HERE is diverse. We are predominantly women and people of color, and we hail from all corners of the planet. In Nevada, the Culinary Union is the state’s largest immigrant organization, with over 57,000 members. Together, we are building a movement to enable people of all backgrounds to achieve greater equality and opportunity.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226