In Las Vegas, the Save Our Jobs union coalition is seeking a Right to Return ordinance which would require employers to offer both union and nonunion workers the right to return to their jobs after being laid off or furloughed due to Covid-19 upon the reopening of the business. The coalition recently rallied at the Clark County Commission to urge commissioners to place the ordinance on their agenda, which has yet to happen. Culinary Local 226 spokeswoman Bethany Khan said, “The Save Our Jobs Coalition continues to call on the Clark County Commission to place a Right to Return ordinance on the agenda as soon as possible.”
Other unions in the coalition include Bartenders Local 165, IATSE Local 720, National Nurses United, Operating Engineers Local 501, SEIU 1107, Teamsters Local 986, Teamsters Local 631 and United Auto Workers Local 3555. Altogether, the unions represent 87,000 workers in Nevada, according to the Culinary union. It issued a statement noting, “Workers have helped to build Nevada into the tourism and entertainment capital of the world. Every one of those workers should have the right to come back to their previous jobs when business resumes. They have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.”
Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, who supports the ordinance, spoke at the rally. He said by holding rallies and distributing flyers the coalition is putting political pressure on commission members. “A lot of these employees have worked for years and years, are out of work and there’s no clear sign of when all of these hotels will open up. The incentive for employers is to hire younger, less experienced employees with less seniority and vacation, but the reality is these veteran workers have made Las Vegas great.”
