In Nevada, the alarm bells have not yet started ringing over the threat posed by Kennedy’s candidacy. The influential Culinary Workers Union Local 226, the state powerhouse that knows how to win elections behind working-class room cleaners and cooks going door-to-door, said not only are they unaware of Kennedy’s presence in the state, they also aren’t worried because it’s still early in the campaign.
The union is fresh off winning a contract fight that averted a massive strike and delivered a nearly 30 percent salary increase in its contract, with workers who were making $28 an hour now set to make $37. The union also secured concessions on technology use and AI protections, as well as workload reductions, and daily room cleaning requirements, which they say was won with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris behind them the entire way. Harris, who has emerged as a key surrogate for the Biden campaign to Latino voters, joined the union at their Las Vegas hall to celebrate on Jan. 3.
Asked about the prospect of attacking Kennedy on their behalf, Ted Pappageorge, the union’s leader, stressed that the election will be between Trump and Biden, and what’s on the minds of working-class voters. But the union noted it is open to modifying its approach should Kennedy become a problem in its eyes.