FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 7, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding Governor Sisolak’s Home Means Nevada program:
Nevada is experiencing a housing crisis that is destabilizing our neighborhoods, making Nevadans less safe, and pushing working families out of their communities.
The Culinary Union recently did a survey of hospitality workers and 20% who responded said they were hit with more than a $500 rent increase. One Culinary Union shop steward’s rent was recently doubled from $900 a month to $1,800 a month. The rent is too high.
The Culinary Union applauds Governor Sisolak’s proposal to invest $500 million in affordable housing. The Home Means Nevada program is a worthy use of once in a lifetime ARPA dollars to address housing affordability. The Culinary Union would like to thank the Governor and the legislature for this historic investment.
Furthermore, the Culinary Union encourages elected officials and legislators to aggressively work to find solutions which ensure Nevadans can afford their rent in the coming weeks and months.
The state of Nevada must protect Nevadans by preventing members of our community from being priced out of the housing market by wealthy corporations attempting to profiteer and gouge tenants with massive and unfair rent increases.
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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 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 and winning for working families in Nevada for 87 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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