“Nobody wants to go on strike. It’s a question of whether it’s necessary or not,” said Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union, Local 226.
Pappageorge is helping to lead negotiations in Las Vegas, where members of both the Culinary Workers Union and the Bartenders Union, have green-lit a strike that could slam Sin City — causing tens of thousands of workers who cook the meals, mix the drinks and clean the suites to walk out.
And Americans seem to stand with unions nationwide.
A recent Gallup News poll from August showed American’s approval of labor unions is at 71%, its highest point since 1965. It’s what has union leaders confident that workers can get what they are asking for.
“One of the only ways to deal with these giant corporations, because really, you’re just a number is to stick together and band together,” Pappageorge said. “And that’s what a union is. It’s a bunch of strong individuals saying, you know what, I need to do better for my family. And I’m going to do it, and I’m not alone.”