I was in Las Vegas this past November when Culinary Workers Union Local 226 members voted to approve a record-setting contract agreement with the world’s three largest casino companies: Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, and MGM Resorts International. The agreement included multiple wins for the employees, such as the largest pay increase in the union’s 88-year history, a reduction in workload, and guaranteed job security.
The deal was so significant that Vice President Kamala Harris flew in to celebrate with the workers on their new contract.
“I think that it’s not only going to be about what you’ve done for your own members. You guys are setting a new standard for workers across the board,” Harris said.
President Joe Biden, who made history last September as the first sitting president to actively join a picket line, met with the union members on the eve of Nevada’s primary.
Ted Pappageorge, the union’s chief negotiator, told me he appreciated the support.
“Biden-Harris is the most pro-union presidency of my lifetime, and I’m 63 years old!” he exclaimed.
The Biden-Harris administration has been extremely involved in advancing union causes, but that’s not the only reason they paid homage to Culinary’s victory.
The Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas has already been called the “most successful private-sector union in America” by The New Republic, and rightfully so. Yet despite being extremely effective in organizing for better working conditions, they are arguably the most effective political organization in the nation.
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The Republicans simply have nothing like it, although they have plenty of astro-turfed organizing operations backed by billionaires, like Americans for Prosperity, that have to pay millions for people to canvas neighborhoods. Democrats have had more success with real grassroots political advocacy groups like Indivisible and MoveOn.
Yet there is no other example of one political organization being primarily responsible for shifting an entire state’s political landscape. It wasn’t always like this.
During the 1980s, the union suffered through harsh strikes and dwindling membership. Despite having an all-white leadership, the workforce was evolving with a growing number of Latino residents.
In response, the union underwent a transformation, embracing a rank-and-file structure that placed people of color in leadership roles within its many committees. “It was bottom-up organizing,” according to Pappageorge.
Recognizing the importance of political organizing, the union also shifted its focus to becoming politically active. Membership drives increased their numbers, largely driven by first-generation Americans employed in the food service and maintenance sectors of the Las Vegas Strip. This newfound strength attracted the attention of politicians seeking support, prompting the union to back advocates for immigrant and worker rights.
In return for their support, the Culinary Union racked up significant victories. Union members are guaranteed a 40-hour workweek, yearly pay raises (with the new contract, they average $28 an hour), and a comprehensive health care plan with no monthly premium or deductible. The union even helps its members make a down payment on a first home.
These benefits ensure that union workers in Las Vegas can enjoy a well-deserved middle-class lifestyle, in stark contrast to the struggles faced by immigrant workers elsewhere in the nation. Here in Florida, hospitality workers lack the basics, such as sick leave, and our minimum wage is $13 per hour. (It would be much lower if not for a Democratic-led citizen initiative.) On top of that, our tourism industry is rife with labor violations.
Each triumph bolstered the union’s ranks and consolidated its influence, which paved the way for future victories. However, its power is truly felt with its political organizing. Most people think Nevada is a blue state based on its legislative makeup and the fact that it voted for the Democratic nominee for the past 20 years.
But it wasn’t too long ago that Nevada was referred to as the “Mississippi of the West” due to blatant segregation and Jim Crow laws. Although it lost that nickname, the reality is Nevada is a deeply divided state.
“It’s a third Republican, a third Democratic and a third independent, with a strong libertarian streak,” according to Pappageorge. In fact, Nevada is actually a so-called “right-to-work” state, meaning that employees in union shops are not obligated to join or pay dues, but the union is still obligated to pay for collective bargaining costs of non-union employees.
The “right-to-work” is a right-wing strategy designed to bleed unions. The most influential figures in the state hold anti-union, right-wing political views, with notable examples being the late Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn. Union buster Donald Trump also has a presence in Las Vegas with his gaudy hotel that refuses to recognize its own union.
Yet Culinary Workers’ success has thrived while constantly being challenged by a conservative political climate hostile to union organizing. The union has well over 60,000 members and is growing, but its success comes down to loyalty among their members.
[Secretary-treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline] credits the persuasiveness of the union’s shop stewards. “You have to have a high, high membership,” she explained. About 97 percent of the Culinary Workers’ bargaining units, she said, join the union.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members from 178 countries that speak more than 40 different languages. The union prints pamphlets for potential recruits in all of those languages for canvassers. Culinary presents itself as the leading immigrant rights organization in the state, placing a strong emphasis on advocating for citizenship and protections for immigrants.
The union’s Citizenship Project offers free assistance throughout the process of becoming a citizen to union members, their families, and the wider community. With over 18,000 individuals in Nevada benefiting from its services, the initiative has made a significant impact. Additionally, Culinary members have played a pivotal role in registering tens of thousands of voters and conducting door-to-door canvassing to advocate for politicians and policies that champion the rights of immigrants and workers. This strategic focus indicates a promising path for organized labor, encouraging unions to embrace an identity that transcends workplace confines and opens up new avenues for progressive achievements.
In addition to the middle-class standard of living won by its members, it is also written into their contracts that union members are allowed to take a leave of absence to campaign during an election year. (I should note, however, that labor unions are forbidden from making their members pay for political activities.) Culinary organizers take full advantage of their time off, and that grassroots approach has yielded undeniable results.
Over the past decade, Democrats have consistently triumphed in this state, even with a demographic that tends to be a lot less active in other regions of the country. In 2022, they had 450 canvassers knock on over 1 million doors statewide, which helped Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
She joined Jacky Rosen to become Nevada’s newest senator. Rosen herself was a former Culinary Union cocktail waitress who worked at Caesars Palace before she got involved in politics. The very same union would help her defeat her Republican opponent for Senate, Dean Heller, in 2018.
The Culinary Union doesn’t contribute significant funds to campaigns or invest in TV advertisements. However, they excel in grassroots organizing, with a ground game that is unmatched anywhere. The union meticulously plans and coordinates its efforts, assigning responsibilities for specific precincts. Stewards within the union hold each other accountable, ensuring they deliver for each other.
Their success could serve as a blueprint for nationwide voter mobilization, as highlighted by former Nevada state Sen. Tick Segerblom:
“It could be duplicated. It just takes the time and energy to do it. At the end of the day, it’s literally just a mechanical process. You know who’s registered, you know where they work, you know who their shop steward is, and you go from there.”
The decline in union membership across the United States presents significant electoral obstacles, as studies have linked right-to-work legislation to Republican electoral victories and decreased voter participation overall. Culinary’s distinctive capacity to establish deep connections with workers, notably by addressing immigration concerns through its contracts, highlights the indispensable role unions play in civic engagement.
Emphasizing citizenship and immigrant rights sets a precedent for organized labor to engage with frequently marginalized communities. This approach is pivotal to maintaining a blue state that supports the labor movement.
The polar opposite of this approach is the Republican Party. Culinary, along with most unions, tends to lean toward Democratic candidates for good reason—they are pro-union and pro-worker. Republicans, on the other hand, are constantly finding ways to take rights away from workers.
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour for 15 years because of GOP opposition, and year after year the GOP has tried to pass a national right-to-work law. Their idea of helping working people is to bring back child labor while giving a $2 trillion tax cut to their corporate donors and billionaire friends.
However, at the end of the day, it’s not politics that drives the mind-blowing success of Las Vegas’ Culinary Union: It’s the results. Yet results can’t happen without the advocacy of people in power who will fight, and not hurt, the working person.
Pappageorge knows this.
“People want a fighting union,” he said. “We are returning to a Gilded Age. There has never been a better time to join a union. There’s no other way to beat these massive corporations. And we’ve had successes. We were told we can’t organize in the South, but we are. We are in New Orleans, in Mississippi, and in Florida. Labor movements need to step up and help elect the right people who will improve people’s lives.”
Even Disney World has a union, and just last year that union won a 37% pay increase for its members. Unions can be just as successful as the Culinary Union if they have the right people in their leadership roles—typically made up of regular members who are passionate about representing and fighting for their workers. The second key to success is to become a fighting union, and that means getting involved in the political arena. Shying away from political activism and endorsements are pointless, since the right people in office can help you and the wrong people can really hurt you.
If you work somewhere that has a union, join it. Better yet, become an officer in the union and make some changes. If you don’t have a union, consider starting one. It can be done in just a few steps.
At the very least, let people know the benefits of joining a union, such as collective bargaining, increased benefits and salaries, legal representation, and job security. Companies know their power, which is why they think it’s worth spending hundreds of millions per year on professionals whose only job it is to “dissuade” workers from joining unions.
Our political party has much to learn from observing the strategies employed by the Culinary Union, extending beyond electoral mobilization and organization. We should demonstrate a level of commitment to advocating for unions that mirrors the fervor with which Republicans champion large corporations. By championing policies that foster genuine economic advancement for the vast working-class population, particularly the burgeoning community of first-generation immigrants, we can ensure that Nevada isn’t the only conservative-leaning state capable of flipping blue.
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