The Culinary Workers Union Local 226, UNITE HERE’s largest local union, is seeking a FULL-TIME PAID INTERN to work on exciting new organizing campaigns in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Culinary Workers Union is a national leader in winning justice and raising standards of living for service workers in the gaming industry.

The Culinary represents 60,000 workers, most of whom work in Las Vegas Strip casinos. Over the past three decades, the union has organized tens of thousands of gaming workers, tripling its membership from 18,000 in 1987 to 60,000 today. The union is also committed to representing its members through an extensive rank and file shop steward program. The Culinary has a diverse membership, consisting largely of Latino and Asian immigrants and African Americans, with women making up a majority of the union. Most of the union’s staff come from the rank and file.

Here’s what others have said about the Culinary Local 226:

"Culinary Local 226 [is]the city's largest labor union, an unusual -- and unusually successful -- union that has done a spectacular job catapulting thousands of dishwashers, hotel maids and other unskilled workers into the middle class. In most other cities, these workers live near the poverty line. But thanks in large part to the Culinary, in Las Vegas these workers often own homes and have Rolls-Royce health coverage, a solid pension plan and three weeks of vacation a year." – New York Times

"Now, courtesy of Local 226, [Las Vegas is] the only city in the land where service-sector workers in supposedly dead-end jobs can afford to buy homes, retire securely and put their kids through college…If the example of Local 226 demonstrates anything, it's that union density is the most sweeping and effective -- and likely the only -- way to bring middle-class income, stability and security to the lives of otherwise low-wage service-sector workers and their communities."– The American Prospect

“At some casinos, the worst enemy isn’t a card counter. It’s a unionist who dissects their financial failings to push for labor’s goals.” – Wall Street Journal

As part of the Culinary’s Research Department, intern will work with campaign researchers and organizers on on-going campaigns.

Responsibilities include:

• Perform financial, legal and other research on employers
• Write and present corporate and industry analysis
• Participate in department meetings and strategy discussions
• Generally assist in on-going organizing campaigns

Qualifications include:

• A commitment to winning social and economic justice through organizing, demonstrated through experience with progressive/activist campaigns (familiarity with labor unions is desired, though not required)
• Excellent writing skills
• Strong analytical skills
• An ability to learn quickly, work well on a team, and handle multiple projects and tight deadlines
• Must have a car during the internship
• Oral and written fluency in Spanish is desired, though not required

The intern will be paid $3,000 a month. The internship requires a minimum commitment of six months. We will only consider people who would be available to make a longer commitment if they are invited to stay on in a more permanent position.

Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.