Gloria Hernandez
Frontier Striker
Culinary Union member since: October 1988; 26 years.
I started working at the Frontier.
It was a union hotel. Two years later, the Elardi family took over and the company refused to sign the contract and give their workers benefits. We saw then that we need to fight. We started organizing and I organized my coworkers at the coffee shop. Then the Frontier kicked out the organizers. We started organizing harder and began the strike.
We were on strike for 6 years, 4 months, and 10 days. None of our coworkers crossed the picket line until we won. I was raising three little kids (two weeks old, 3 years, and 4 4 ½ years old). Strike pay was $200 a week. It was a sacrifice. We won respect from the City of Las Vegas with this strike.
Now, I work at the Union as an organizer, my daughter is also a union member. The Culinary has changed the life for the working people in Las Vegas. We fight everyday to have respect, dignity, and job protection for families.
My commitment is to keep growing my Union and bring other people to the same standard of living.
