Workers rally for union contract outside Trump International Hotel

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Thursday, April 21, 2016 | 8:52 p.m.

A protest by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 outside the Trump International Hotel went on fairly quietly for about an hour Thursday evening.

Then the clock struck 6 p.m.

Demonstrators formed two lines on Fashion Show Drive, as some danced to the song “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. About the same time, hundreds of protesters who had walked down Las Vegas Boulevard from the old Riviera arrived, and a rally commenced.

Workers at the hotel are fighting for union representation.

“What do we want? Contracts. When do we want them? Now,” demonstrators chanted in unison. Some toted signs with slogans such as “No Contract. No Peace.”

The National Labor Relations Board in March certified the votes from a December election that showed a majority of workers were in favor of representation by the Culinary Union.

Hotel owners, however, asked for a review challenging that decision, though the certification stands unless the board decides to reconsider.

Workers want negotiations to start now.

State Sen. Ruben Kihuen, D-Las Vegas, who spoke at the rally, had a message for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who owns the hotel with Phil Ruffin, who also owns Treasure Island.

“We’re going to make sure that Donald Trump understands that Las Vegas is a union town,” said Kihuen, who running for Congress and recently was endorsed by the 57,000-member union. “It’s a shame that he is running for president, yet he doesn’t understand how elections work. Fifty-one percent want union.”

One of those workers is Maria Jaramillo, 37, who said she’s been a housekeeper at the hotel for about seven years. She said she’s fighting for a union contract because of the benefits and work protection it would bring.

Jaramillo said the work she does is the same as housekeepers at unionized hotels on the Strip, but “they treat us like we’re second class.”

Kihuen, whose mother is a housekeeper and union member, sympathized with employees like Jaramillo. “I understand how hard you work to make Las Vegas function each and every day,” he said.

As he waited outside the hotel for a ride, a guest from Detroit Mich., who did not disclose his name, wore a red hat with Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Another man, who did not appear to be part of the protest, approached him and said, “We’re going to make sure Donald Trump understands.”

The man with the hat politely avoided any confrontation and later said he respected the demonstrators’ right to protest.

The only disturbance came from a man who several times drove by in a white pickup truck, honking his horn at the protesters and making obscene gestures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.