United States: The union’s chief said that President Joe Biden may support Las Vegas hotel employees if they go on strike on Monday, binding him with another workers union in a crucial swing state but a battleground for the 2024 election, in an interview with Reuters,.
Critical Negotiations Underway Before Monday’s Deadline
With the politically powerful Nevada Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino due to expire before Monday morning, the two sides have until early Monday to settle the agreement. Such an action may result in a strike by the workers.
The president has promised to evangelize the picketing workers in case if they walk out, Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer and head of the union, told Reuters in an interview. With two days of political activity in Las Vegas, Biden will close the circle by visiting there on Monday.
President’s Promise to Join Picketing Workers
A reporter asked if Biden would accompany striking workers on Monday; Pappageorge said there would be opportunities for Biden to picket with the workers and that he has an open invitation to join the picket line.
Negotiators from the union and company were returning for another round of talks Sunday night just ahead of Monday’s deadline for an agreement.
It has already achieved over 30 agreements that set forth coverage for 50,000 workers across other Vegas hotel and casino properties.
The campaign of the then-presidential candidate declined to comment. The campaign, as well as the White House, has not yet rolled out any plan for Biden’s on Monday.
Biden’s Potential Second Show of Support for Workers
If Biden walks in on the picket line, it would be his second protest of this kind in the short term since he joined the auto mob strikers in Michigan last September. As far as recent history is concerned, that marked the first time a US president visited striking workers and preceded a November backing by the UAW.
Trump held meetings with their leadership and with some of the members of the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters—one of America’s largest unions—only last week in pursuit of labor groups’ support.
Much of the Latino or Hispanic population in Nevada answer that they are on the U.S. Census, and Republicans get some traction among these voters across the country.
Biden’s Pro-Union Stance and AFL-CIO Endorsement
Biden has declared himself the most pro-union president of all time, performing many actions beneficial to the Workers. The AFL-CIO, a type of confederation that represents worker units such as the Culinary Union, endorsed Biden in 2020.
However, when contacted, the investment company CIM Group and Fifth Street Gaming, the operators of the Downtown Grand, did not, offhand at least, reply.