FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, October 18, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union to launch the largest political team in Nevada on the first day of Early Vote, canvassers will knock on 900,000+ doors and talk to 130,000+ voters by Election Day
Culinary Union unveils new digital ad, “Kamala Harris fights for us.”🎥 WATCH the new “Kamala Harris fights for us” ad on: Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
Las Vegas, NV – UNITE HERE’s Culinary Union continues the strongest political program in Nevada by launching the largest “Get Out the Vote” (GOTV) operation on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 10:00am at the Culinary Union HQ on the first day of Early Vote. Statewide, Culinary Union canvassers will knock on over 900,000 doors and talk to more than 130,000 voters by the end of Election Day. BROLL of Culinary Union canvassers in the field.
Culinary Union previously released its 2024 General Endorsement Guide and is proud to run the largest statewide political program to elect Kamala Harris as President and Tim Walz as Vice-President and re-elect Senator Jacky Rosen and Congressional representatives Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee.
Earlier this week, the Culinary Union released a new 30-second and 15-second video, “Kamala Harris fights for us” on social media. The new digital ad highlights that Kamala Harris is fighting to protect our American dream from corporations that are price gouging working families on food, gas, and housing.
“The path to victory and the White House runs right through Nevada and Culinary Union members, who need strong political leaders who will confront corporate greed and lower rent, gas, and grocery prices. Unlike Republicans, who side with Wall Street landlords and the super-rich, Kamala Harris stands with hospitality workers. She will cap rent increases at 5%, fund affordable housing, provide $25,000 in down-payment assistance, eliminate the sub-minimum wage, end taxes on tips, raise the minimum wage, and unite workers,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “Kamala Harris has consistently championed Culinary Union members and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to tackle issues that are important to guest room attendants who clean hotel rooms, cooks who make gourmet food, and the tip-earning servers who deliver cocktails and unparalleled hospitality. As the largest organization of working women in Nevada, the opportunity to elect the first woman president of the USA is both energizing and historic and we are ready to make history together, and so the Culinary Union will deliver Nevada for President Kamala Harris and Vice-President Tim Walz.”
“The most important issue for me is a women’s right to choose,” said Esmeralda Avila, a pantry worker at the Convention Center and Culinary Union member for 7 years who has taken a leave from her hospitality job to canvass. “I will be voting for Kamala Harris for President and Senator Jacky Rosen because they respect women. It’s up to us to protect our daughters’ rights and elect political leaders who will do the same.”
“I’m voting to elect Kamala Harris for President because she’s supports the Latino community and is working to improve our economy my lower the price of gas, prescriptions, and making it easier to buy a home,” said Nancy Chavez, a dishwasher at the Bellagio and Culinary Union member for 8 years. “As I canvass I’m having conversations with voters everyday. To those who aren’t sure about voting, I tell them that every vote counts. It’s up to us to stay united, especially Latinos, to make the difference in this election.”
Culinary Union is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of hospitality workers and immigrant voters during the 2024 General to elect political leaders who will continue to fight for Nevadans. Political canvassers reflect the Culinary Union’s diverse membership, which is majority women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and who are committed to organizing and winning economic and racial justice. As the largest organization of workers in Nevada, Culinary Union has worked for nearly nine decades to build worker power and strength. Each political effort draws from the Culinary Union’s 89 years of rich knowledge of effective and precise voter contact, which is rooted in the principle of working people talking to each other about the importance of building collective power through voting.
During everyday of Early Vote, the Culinary Union is running the largest statewide political program in Nevada. Hospitality workers, who have taken a leave-of-absence from their casino jobs to get out the vote, are available for interviews in English or Spanish. There are also limited shadowing opportunities available for reporters who are interested in spending an hour in the field with canvassers. To attend any of the GOTV launch events during Saturday, October 19 - Tuesday, November 5, shadow a canvass team on a weekday, or to schedule interviews with workers or Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge, contact Bethany Khan.
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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. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
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. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latinx, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 89 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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