Las Vegas Culinary Union
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The Culinary Workers Union, UNITE HERE Local 226 is a
local union A local union (often shortened to local), in North America, or union branch (known as a lodge in some unions), in the United Kingdom and other countries, is a local branch (or chapter) of a usually national trade union. The terms used for sub-bran ...
affiliated with
UNITE HERE UNITE HERE is a labor union in the United States and Canada with roughly 300,000 active members. The union's members work predominantly in the hotel, food service, laundry, warehouse, and casino gaming industries. The union was formed in 2004 b ...
which operates in the
Las Vegas metropolitan area Clark County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Nevada with 2,265,461 residents as of the 2020 census. The county is the location of the state's three largest cities, Las Vegas (the county seat), Henderson, and North Las Vegas ...
of
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
. Members include a variety of occupations organized along
craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...
lines working in restaurants, hotels and laundries, in the casinos in the
Las Vegas metropolitan area Clark County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Nevada with 2,265,461 residents as of the 2020 census. The county is the location of the state's three largest cities, Las Vegas (the county seat), Henderson, and North Las Vegas ...
and
Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, as well as
Harry Reid International Airport Harry Reid International Airport , formerly known as McCarran International Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located south of downtown Las Vega ...
and
Valley Hospital Medical Center Valley Hospital Medical Center is a for-profit hospital owned by Universal Health Services and operated by Valley Health System. It is one of six hospitals within the Valley Health System in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is accredited by the Joint Com ...
. While most Culinary members work in casinos, the union does not represent dealers and other employees directly providing
gaming Gaming may refer to: Games and sports The act of playing games, as in: * Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming" * Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles * Playing ...
services. With 60,000 members, the Culinary is the largest union in the state of Nevada. The union tripled its membership between 1990 and 2020, even as labor union membership declined nationwide in the same time period. According to labor journalist
Steven Greenhouse Steven Greenhouse is an American labor and workplace journalist and writer. He covered labor for ''The New York Times'' from 1983 through 2014. On December 2, 2014, he announced on Twitter: "Thanks All. With great ambivalence, I'm taking NYT buyo ...
, it has "catapulted thousands of dishwashers, waiters, and hotel housekeepers into the middle class, even though those are poverty-level jobs in many other cities." Despite Nevada's status as a "right-to-work" state, around 97% of bargaining units choose to join the Culinary Union and pay dues. This has led ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...
'' to call the Culinary Union "America's greatest modern labor success story." On September 27, 2023, the union's Las Vegas chapter voted to authorize a strike. A tentative deal was then reached on November 8, 9 and 10, 2023 to prevent a strike. The new five-year contract would then be ratified with 99% approval when voting concluded for Caesar's Entertainment, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts workers on November 20, 21 and 22. On January 26, 2024, the Culinary Union also reached tentative agreements on a five-year labor contract with Circus Circus Hotel & Casino Las Vegas and a three-year labor contract with
Circus Circus Reno Circus Circus Reno is a hotel and casino located in Downtown Reno, Nevada. It anchors a network of connected hotel-casinos in the downtown Reno core that includes Silver Legacy Reno and Eldorado Reno and are owned and operated by Caesars Enter ...
. The strikes ended with workers gaining pay increases of 32% over five years, with the average worker's pay increasing from $26-28 per hour to $35-37 per hour (including benefits). On September 19, 2024, the Venetian, which was built in 1999 and was the last remaining
Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...
casino to not have a union, would become the latest Las Vegas Strip resort to approve a Culinary Union labor contract.


COVID-19

As a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and its negative impacts on the Nevada tourist industry, more than 98% of the union's members became unemployed in 2020. During the pandemic, the union provided 18 months of free health insurance to laid-off members and distributed over 475,000 baskets of food to hospitality workers' families in need. It also lobbied for Nevada's Senate Bill 4, which instituted COVID-19 workplace safety regulations for the state's hospitality industry, and Senate Bill 386, which guaranteed laid-off hospitality workers the right to be rehired into their old jobs when casinos and other businesses reopened.


November 2024 Virgin Hotels Las Vegas strike

In spite of the fact that all Las Vegas resorts were unionized by September 2024, Culinary Union members at the Las Vegas Virgin Hotel & Casino have been without a labor contract since the previous one expired in June 2023. The Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has been a key target for the Culinary Workers Union. A limited two day strike at the hotel would be held form May 10–11, 2024. On November 15, 2024, 700 workers at the
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a hotel and casino resort in Paradise, Nevada, east of the Las Vegas Strip. It previously operated as the Hard Rock Hotel from 1995 to 2020, before closing for renovations to be rebranded as Virgin Hotels. Richard Bra ...
went on an indefinite, open-ended strike. This would be the Culinary Worker's Union's first open-ended strike in Las Vegas since 2002. Unlike the previous labor strike which took place earlier in the year which only last for two days, the November 2024 Virgin Hotels Las Vegas strike will last until a new labor deal is reached, with workers picketing around the hotel 24/7. However, despite managing to get an open-ended strike, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas remains operational, with the hotel managing to successfully hire temporary workers. The Virgin Hotel Las Vegas would also remain open for people attending the
2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024) was a Formula One motor race held on November 23, 2024, at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It was the twe ...
. Starting November 21, 2024, the strike at the Virgin Hotel Las Vegas would also include
civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...
. The first day of civil disobedience at the hotel saw 57 people arrested for intentionally blocking a road, including President Diana Valles and Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge. On December 3, 2024, management at the hotel reported that Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was now in financial distress, criticizing the Culinary Union's demands. Management also reported that in spite of the ongoing strike, 60% of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas workers who are Culinary Union members were already working at the hotel again. All 700 striking workers at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas held a public meeting with the Las Vegas-based
Nevada Gaming Control Board The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB or SGCB), also known as the State Gaming Control Board, is a Nevada state governmental agency involved in the regulation of gaming and law enforcement of Nevada gaming laws throughout the state, along with th ...
on December 4, 2024. The strike ended after 69 days, when a contract was ratified in January 2025; workers approved a new five-year contract which will increase their pay by 32% over five years, with the average worker's pay increasing from $28 per hour to $37 per hour (including benefits).


Politics

The union is an influential supporter of Democratic politicians and causes in the state of Nevada.
Jon Ralston Jonathan Mark Ralston (born July 13, 1959) is an American journalist, political commentator, and former talk show host. His show, ''Ralston Live'', was seen each weekday on the two Nevada PBS stations in Las Vegas and Reno until being discontinu ...
has credited its voter education and turnout operations for Democrats' statewide, state legislative, and congressional victories in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, and
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, and for maintaining many of these gains in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. According to ''The Nevada Independent'', the union is "among the most singularly powerful political forces in Nevada" and is a "key cog in the
Reid Reid is a surname of Scotland, Scottish origin. It means "red". People with the surname * Alec Cunningham-Reid (1895–1977), British politician * Alan Reid (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Reid (disambiguation), multiple people * Alexan ...
] machine." In January 2008, the union endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama over New York (state), New York Senator Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic caucuses. In February 2016, the union declined to endorse either Clinton or
Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
Senator
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
during the caucuses, and later endorsed Clinton when she became the Democratic presidential nominee. She lost the general election to
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
on November 8, 2016, though she won Nevada.
Yvanna Cancela Yvanna Cancela (born 1987) is an American politician who served as a member of the Nevada Senate for the 10th district from 2017 to 2021. She joined the Biden administration on January 20, 2021. Early life and education Cancela was born to Cu ...
, the political director for the union, was appointed to the
Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the pr ...
in 2017, and later became chief of staff to Nevada governor
Steve Sisolak Stephen F. Sisolak ( ; born December 26, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 30th governor of Nevada from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Clark County Commission from 2009 to 201 ...
. In December 2018, Bea Duran, a grievance representative for the Culinary Workers, was appointed to the
Nevada State Assembly The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada, the upper house being the Nevada Senate. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member distri ...
. In February 2020, the Union once again declined to endorse a candidate for that year's caucuses. Their decision came after it circulated a flyer among members criticizing Sanders and
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
Senator
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
's support for
single-payer healthcare Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare, in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from pr ...
, which it argued would leave members with worse benefits. Some union leaders reported receiving threats after the flyer was published. Despite this warning, a majority of the union's members caucusing at one casino in Nevada voted for Sanders. In January 2024, Vice President
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
visited Las Vegas to meet with members of the culinary union in what was billed as a "celebration" following the negotiation of the five-year contract with casino employers in the city. Harris thanked workers for "making a difference in the lives of people who you may never meet". She was joined by Labor Secretary
Julie Su Julie Ann Su ( Chinese: 蘇維思; born February 19, 1969) is an American attorney and government official who served as acting United States Secretary of Labor from March 11, 2023 to January 20, 2025. She also served as the 37th United States ...
, alongside a host of Nevada politicians who also spoke at the event. Many union members attended and wore bright red T-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts bearing the messages “Vegas Strong” and “One Job Should Be Enough.”


Secretary-Treasurers

:1954: Al Bramlet :1977: Ben Schmoutey :1981: Jeff McColl :1987: Jim Arnold :2002: D. Taylor :2012: Geoconda Argüello-Kline :2022: Ted Pappageorge


References


External links

*
Bartenders Local 165 Website
{{Authority control Economy of Nevada Hospitality industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1935 Trade unions in Nevada UNITE HERE 1935 establishments in Nevada