D. Taylor resigns as Unite chairman, Nevada workers remain priority
Donald "D" Taylor, once a key leader of the Las Vegas Culinary Union, has resigned as president of the powerful labor group United Here.
He remains president of Unite Here Health, the national union umbrella group, and will continue to advocate for unions in Nevada, it was announced Monday.
Focus on the hotel industry
“I believe the next generation of leaders should have a chance,” Taylor, 67, told the Nevada Independent on Monday when asked about his decision.
"I'm not retiring and I'm not going to stop working," Taylor added. “Because of my connections at Nevada, I thought I could help in games and other places.”
He predicts the culinary union could soon have another 10,000 to 15,000 members if more hotel workers decide to unionize.
Taylor first joined Unite Here in the 1970s while a student at Georgetown University and working in a restaurant.
Taylor's union career began in the early 1980s. He worked for the Culinary Alliance in Reno and Tahoe, Nevada. A few years later, he became one of the key leaders of the 1984 Las Vegas strike.
In 2002, he was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Union. During his tenure, union membership soared from 17,000 to 55,000, and the union's power and influence continued to grow across the state and nationally. Unite Here elected Taylor as president in 2012.
Praise for Taylor
News of the leadership change at Unite Here drew praise from Taylor.
"His 40-year legacy of advocating for and winning over working families has made our union the radical organizing and political force it is today," Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in response to Taylor's decision to resign .
"D. Papageorgi added in a statement on Monday that he has been a staunch advocate for worker and immigrant rights and health care reform, and has personally pushed for innovative language at the bargaining table." "
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and the Bartenders Union Local 165 represent 60,000 workers in Nevada. Many members work at casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas.
Occupations held by members include bartenders, bellhops, cocktail and food servers, cooks, waitresses, laundry and kitchen workers and porters.
Unite Here currently has about 300,000 members nationwide. They are used in workplaces such as casinos, hotels and restaurants.
The 89-year-old Culinary Union and many other unions are affiliated with Unite Here.
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Source: www.casino.org
