Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to union members at the Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Culinary Union headquarters in downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday, applauding the union’s recent negotiating wins with major resort companies on the Strip and saying it set a standard for other collective bargaining units nationwide.
Her speech was greeted with raucous applause from union members, many of whom sported bright red T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts bearing messages like “Vegas Strong” and “One Job Should Be Enough.”
“Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your fight. Thank you for your strength,” she told the union. “Thank you for all you do on behalf of the working people — not only of Nevada — but, by modeling what you do, working people all over our country.”
Last year, Nevada’s second-largest union locked down new five-year contracts with three major resort companies — Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts — for workers at more than a dozen Strip properties. Negotiations wrapped up within days of an impending strike deadline.
Union members have always and continue to fight for workers’ right to dignity, Harris said. And even though a strike would have required great sacrifice from Culinary members, she said, they showed they were willing to do so for the sake of workers everywhere.
“The strength of working people is the backbone of the strength of our nation,” she said. “Working people and, in particular, the union members, are the reason that anyone — whether you are a member of the union or not — get a weekend, get paid leave, get family leave, if you get it.”
Child labor laws, overtime pay, safety requirements, vacation time and more — all privileges that nowadays may be taken for granted — have been made possible because of unions, said Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.
“Unions built this country and created the middle class,” Horsford said Wednesday. “And the Culinary built Las Vegas.”
Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the union, showed appreciation toward Harris and other government leaders for prioritizing workers during the pandemic and in its recovery, particularly in regard to health care and the economy.
Pappageorge, who also noted the union’s growth in 2023 with new Strip venues like the Fontainebleau Las Vegas and the Sphere, called the union’s newest negotiation outcomes the “best contracts ever.”
“The job of the labor movement is to fight, to win and to grow,” he said. “And we’re doing our job.”
Workload reduction, technology protections and worker safety are just a few of the issues the union negotiated for in the contracts, Pappageorge said. Other outcomes included pay and benefit increases.
“So many of you were on the frontlines forever — and during the pandemic,” Harris told the union members. “It is long overdue you got a pay raise.”
Elena Newman, a guest-room attendant at Mandalay Bay and member of the union for two decades, introduced Harris to the stage. She addressed the audience first, iterating that the average union worker in Las Vegas now earns $37 an hour, due to the recent negotiations.
Although Culinary in November settled contracts for over 40,000 employees between MGM, Caesars and Wynn, however, she said the union was still in negotiations with 23 other Las Vegas properties — including downtown resorts — for thousands of workers.
Linda Hunt, a food server at the El Cortez and member of the Culinary Union for 45 years, said she would do whatever it takes to get the best contract ever.
“These companies are making record profits,” Hunt said. “ … So now it is their turn to share a piece of that success with us.”
Another important issue for the union is mandatory daily room cleaning, Pappageorge said, which is aimed at protecting Las Vegas guest-room attendants.
Daily room cleaning is not just a safety issue, but a health issue as well, said Elsa Roldan, a guest-room attendant at the Bellagio and 15-year member of the Culinary Union. Without daily room cleaning, Roldan said, the workload goes up for attendants and they have little energy to dedicate to their families.
“I’m happy that President (Joe) Biden and Vice President Harris support us in our fight,” Roldan said during Wednesday’s event. “And as a leader myself, I like to see a strong woman like us who helps us lead the country every day. I’m so proud that she has our back, and we have her back as well.”
U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., reflected on her own past with the Culinary, including working as a cocktail waitress at Caesars Palace during college. She expressed her gratitude for the union and its continued dedication to Nevadans, while also reiterating her own commitment to families.
“You advocate for our hardworking families,” she said. “You build up our middle class and you help Americans achieve their dream — Nevadans achieve their American dream. And unions do incredible things for workers all across this country. The support that unions provide has lifted up countless families, including mine.”
The U.S. saw a “remarkable era of worker power” in 2023, said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, citing labor demonstrations among actors and writers Hollywood, auto workers, teachers and more.
“And now it’s 2024,” she said. “And we’re going to keep on reimagining what is possible for workers. The Biden-Harris administration is going to keep on saying loud and clear that unions make America strong. And (if) the workers do well — America does better.”
Alone, people feel powerless, Harris said. An individual may be unable to advocate for themselves and get a fair contract at work.
But organized labor uses the power of the collective to have an equal voice in negotiations for everyone.
“That’s part of the essence of the strength of unions, is to remind workers that you are not alone,” she said. “That you come with people. That people have your back.”
The strength of a leader is not measured by who they put down, but by who they lift up, Harris said.
The event also included remarks from U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., union president Diana Valles and others.
“There are people that would suggest that the character of leadership is to have no interest in the lives of other people,” Harris said. “When we know the true character … of a leader is to have some level of curiosity, concern and care about the suffering of other people.”
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