In the first week of March, with only a few confirmed COVID-19 cases in Clark County, the response by the Culinary Union Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165 was to request that the casino companies offer paid sick leave to workers in the event of contracting the virus. Companies promised to monitor the situation.

As early as April 23, the local Culinary Union and Bartenders Union joined forces with the Service Employees International Union Local 1107 to demand stronger employee protections. I was so relieved to hear that our city was preparing to reopen that I forgot to consider my own safety. When I heard the union demanding even more out of the company than just to reopen, I understood I didn't have to be at the mercy of the company. I was nervous, but extremely proud to support the union knowing from a historical perspective what it meant for my community.