RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - The Culinary Union celebrated its 90th anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 1. Over the years, it has improved the lives of thousands of Nevada hospitality workers including guest room attendants, servers, porters, bakers, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers, according to a union news release.

“Culinary Union members organized to build what working families needed most - security, ” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “In nine decades, we are proud to have created the Culinary Health Fund, the Pension Fund, the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, the Citizenship Project, the Housing Fund, the Legal Service Fund, and now, our network of four Culinary Health Centers deliver world-class care to over 120,000 Culinary Union members and their families.”

It is the state’s largest Latinx, black, Asian American, Pacific Islander immigrant organization with members who are originally from 178 countries and speak more than 40 languages.

“This year, as we celebrate the Culinary Union’s 90th anniversary, we honor every member who marched, struck, sacrificed, and organized to build this union,” Pappageorge said. “Because of their courage and solidarity, the Las Vegas Strip is now 100% union.”

“For nearly a century, the Culinary Union has been the beating heart of working-class power in this state and we will continue to organize, strike, and vote to protect what our parents and grandparents built,” Pappageorge said.

The Culinary Union is 55% women and 45% immigrants. The demographics of the members are 54% Latinx, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.