FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, January 12th, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Geoconda Argüello-Kline regarding Yvanna Cancela’s new position with the Biden Harris administration:
The Culinary Union congratulates Yvanna Cancela on her new position with the Biden Harris administration serving at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC.
Yvanna, the former political director for the Culinary Union, led the largest political program in the state to keep Nevada blue in 2016. She went on to be the State Senator representing District 10, where she championed historic pharmaceutical transparency legislation and was a strong advocate for workers, unions, and immigrants, all while working as the Executive Director of the Culinary Union’s affiliate, The Citizenship Project - which has helped over 18,000 Nevadans become U.S. citizens for free since it was founded in 2001.
The Culinary Union is proud to have Yvanna, a former Culinary Union member, work with the incoming Biden Harris administration to protect working families. We know Yvanna cares deeply for workers and she will continue to champion issues important to Nevada.
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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 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 45% 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 for working families in Nevada for 86 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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