Barack Obama Statement on the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Strike Authorization Vote

September 12, 2007, Las Vegas, NV - Barack Obama made the following statement today on the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Strike Authorization Vote.

"Today, the Culinary Union took a necessary step towards achieving fair contracts for their workers. With close to 10,000 employees still without the security of a fair contract and a living wage, the Culinary Union voted to authorize their negotiators to call for a strike. No party involved wants to strike, so I remain hopeful that the remaining properties will come to the table and join with their workers in negotiating fair contracts that provide their employees a chance to fulfill the Las Vegas dream.

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The Culinary Union Local 226 has set the standard in Nevada and across the country by negotiating contracts for their workers that provide careers, living wages and solid benefits. In Las Vegas and across Nevada, hotels and casinos have joined with their workers in a way that has benefitted everyone - the workers, the companies and the customers they serve.

These workers have helped make Las Vegas the city it is today, and I join with the Culinary Union in declaring that we will fight until every last worker has a fair contract. I have been on the picket line for years with workers in Illinois and if workers in Nevada are forced to strike I will be standing by their side as well."

Source: Obama for America