FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sunday, November 3, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Jyot Singh: jyot@aapivictoryfund.com
CULINARY UNION AND AAPI VICTORY FUND UNVEIL GOTV PARTNERSHIP IN NEVADA WITH CONTENT CREATORS TO SUPPORT KAMALA HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT
LAS VEGAS — AAPI Victory Fund is proud to support the largest "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) operation in Nevada in support of Kamala Harris for President. Earlier this week, AAPI Victory Fund partnered with the Culinary Union, the largest organization of AAPI workers in the state, to collaborate with Las Vegas content creators to lift up the voices of hospitality workers ahead of Election Day (Tuesday, November 5th).
UNITE HERE’s Culinary Union’s powerful political program is mobilizing 600 political organizers in Nevada to knock on over 900,000 doors and talk to more than 130,000 voters by the end of Election Day. On an average day, a Culinary Union canvasser knocks on 60+ doors during their shift, with the entire team knocking on 20,000 doors a day on average in Las Vegas and Reno, 6-7 days a week for 4 months. Since early August, Culinary Union’s political team has been knocking on the doors of over half of voters of color statewide, connecting with 70% of Black voters, 57% of Latinx voters, 29% of AAPI voters, and 20% of Native American voters.
The Culinary Union’s unprecedented mobilization effort centers around the hardworking union members who make up the backbone of Nevada's hospitality industry. The collaborative content creation campaign with AAPI Victory Fund emphasizes the benefits of union membership, including fair wages, union health care, pension, training, and many other guaranteed union benefits, and stronger protections for AAPI workers and working-class communities.
As part of this initiative, the AAPI Victory Fund partnered with four influential Las Vegas content creators - with a combined reach of 1.2 million followers - to amplify the union's work and GOTV efforts. Creators Jonathan Tso (@JayteeTakesABite), Philip Tzeng (@lasvegasfill),Talia (@tallzz_), and Samiya (@socialsami) joined members of the Culinary Union for a food crawl, visiting iconic unionized Asian restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip to create compelling social media content which highlights the importance of supporting unions, worker organizing rights, and voting for a future that protects all working families.
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The Power of the AAPI Vote in Nevada: In recent elections, the AAPI community has emerged as a pivotal voting bloc in Nevada. In 2020, President Joe Biden won Nevada by approximately 33,596 votes. With over 400,000 AAPI residents in the state, AAPI votes have the potential to be the margin of victory in tight races. The AAPI electorate in Nevada has grown over 45% since 2012, and in 2020, as in other battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, the number of Asian Americans who cast their ballot exceeded the presidential margin of victory.
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"The AAPI community is a force in Nevada," said Shekar Narasimhan, Chairman and Founder of AAPI Victory Fund. "Our partnership with the Culinary Union amplifies our collective efforts to mobilize the working-class and ensure that worker’s voices are heard loud and clear at the ballot box this election."
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“As Nevada’s largest organization of AAPI workers, we are proud to partner with the AAPI Victory Fund and four local AAPI content creators ahead of Election Day in a heartwarming campaign to amplify worker voices, celebrate victories, and build a future where every worker thrives,” said Bethany Khan, Spokeswoman for the Culinary Union. “Recently, the Culinary Union marked our 89th anniversary with the historic accomplishment of unionizing 100% of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. We know that when workers succeed, the entire community benefits. That’s why we’re mobilizing across Nevada to ensure every voice is heard - because the path to victory and the White House runs through Nevada and through Culinary Union members. We need strong leaders like Kamala Harris for President who will challenge corporate greed and work to lower rent, gas, and grocery prices.”
Content creators in the process of filming
The content creators participated in the food crawl hosted by Culinary Union member leader Shop Stewards at three unionized restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip, which showcased the benefits of unionized workplaces and emphasized the critical role that strong unions have in securing a future where working families thrive. The combined creator platforms reach a diverse audience, spreading the message about the importance of voting and supporting candidates who stand with workers.
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ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 89 years.
About AAPI Victory Fund
The AAPI Victory Fund is the first Super PAC of its kind, focused on mobilizing and empowering Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voters and supporting AANHPI candidates across the country. Through grassroots efforts and strategic media campaigns, the AAPI Victory Fund works to ensure that AANHPI voices are heard at every level of government. For more information, visit AAPIVictoryFund.com.
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