Culinary Union Local 226

What Culinary Union Local 226 does

Culinary Union Local 226 is a labor union founded in 1935 (or 1936 per company history) that collectively bargains on behalf of approximately 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, alongside its affiliated Bartenders Union Local 165. Its members include guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and laundry and kitchen workers employed across the Las Vegas Strip casino resorts, Downtown Las Vegas, and Reno properties. The union is a Nevada affiliate of UNITE HERE!, a labor federation representing 300,000 workers across gaming, hotel, and food service in North America.

The union operates an integrated member benefit ecosystem anchored by the Culinary Health Fund, a Taft-Hartley multi-employer health plan covering 145,000+ Nevadans, and a network of four Culinary Health Centers (Nellis, Durango, Craig, and Tropicana) delivering primary care, dental, pharmacy, physical therapy, and mental health services. Additional affiliates include Culinary Pension, a 401K plan, Housing Fund, the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas (a training facility partnered with 24 casino resort properties), The Citizenship Project (which has helped over 18,000 immigrants become citizens since 2001), a Legal Service Fund, and the Goodwrx workforce platform. Member demographics are 55% women, 60% immigrants, with members originating from 178 countries and speaking over 40 languages.

Revenue is derived from member dues on a recurring subscription-like basis, with employer-side contributions funding the benefit plans negotiated through collective bargaining agreements. The union's go-to-market motion is community-led worksite organizing, contract negotiations with major employers (MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Las Vegas), political mobilization (900,000+ doors knocked, 130,000+ voter contacts), and large-scale grievance enforcement (the Grievance Team has won $25 million in the past two years).

Name

Culinary Union Local 226

Legal name

Culinary Workers Union Local 226

Website

https://culinaryunion226.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Culinary Union Local 226 is a Nevada labor union representing 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno, affiliated with UNITE HERE!. It collectively bargains with major casino employers and operates an integrated member benefit ecosystem including the Culinary Health Fund, four health centers, pension, and training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Casino Food, Beverage & Nightlife Operations (MPAEAAAI)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Union member benefits
• Hospitality workforce organizing
• Union advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: Union collects membership dues from represented workers, providing revenue to fund organizing, collective bargaining, member services, political advocacy, and healthcare benefits administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Culinary Union Local 226 is a labor union that represents 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements with major casino resort employers, provides union representation and grievance handling, and delivers member benefits including health insurance through the Culinary Health Fund, healthcare services via Culinary Health Centers, pension, 401K, housing assistance, job training through the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, citizenship assistance, and legal services.

Product overview

Culinary Union Local 226 is a labor union representing 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, affiliated with UNITE HERE. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of member services including union representation, health insurance through the Culinary Health Fund, healthcare delivery via four Culinary Health Centers, retirement benefits through pension and 401K plans, housing assistance, job training through the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, citizenship assistance via The Citizenship Project, and legal services. The union also operates UnionEats.org, a guide to 360+ unionized restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip. The core offering is union membership and collective bargaining for hospitality workers including guest room attendants, servers, cooks, bartenders, and kitchen workers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership and Collective Bargaining Representation
• Culinary Health Centers
• Culinary Health Fund
• Culinary Academy of Las Vegas
• Culinary Union Pension
• Housing Fund
• The Citizenship Project
• 401K Plan

Quantifiable outcome

• $25 million in grievance victories in two years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Citizenship ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Citizenship assistance program helping immigrants become American citizens. Located at Nevada Partners, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Has helped 18,000+ immigrants become citizens since 2001.
• UNITE HERE!coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational union federation representing 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America. Culinary Union Local 226 is the Nevada affiliate.
• Bartenders Union Local 165coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNevada affiliate of UNITE HERE representing bartenders, jointly representing 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno.
• Culinary Health FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaft-Hartley multi-employer health plan established 1981, providing health coverage for hospitality workers. Covers 145,000+ Nevadans. Sponsored by union and Las Vegas-area employers including Bellagio, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, Wynn, and others.
• Culinary Health Center NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour state-of-the-art healthcare facilities (Nellis, Durango, Craig, Tropicana) providing primary care, dental, pharmacy, physical therapy and mental health services. Approximately 100,000 annual patient visits.
• Culinary PensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion pension fund providing retirement benefits to represented workers.
• Housing FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion-affiliated housing assistance program for members.
• Culinary Academy of Las VegascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner11,000 sq ft culinary training facility operated jointly with 24 casino resort properties providing job training and placement services.
• CLUE LV (Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor-community coalition partner for economic justice advocacy.
• United Labor Agency of Nevada (ULAN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor agency providing workforce services and support.
• GoodwrxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion-affiliated workforce platform.
• Culinary & Bartenders Unions Legal Service FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal services fund providing legal representation for union members.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Station Casinos (Red Rock Resorts): Major Las Vegas gaming employer that has remained non-union and actively resisted Culinary Union organizing — relevant not as a direct peer but as the largest "non-customer" employer whose workers represent the next organizing frontier for Local 226.
• American Gaming Association: National trade association representing the U.S. casino industry; Local 226 and AGA have co-signed joint advocacy (e.g., CFTC prediction-market rulemaking), making AGA a relevant counterpart/peer in the gaming-labor policy ecosystem.
• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): Federal agency adjudicating labor disputes; Local 226 has filed NLRB charges (e.g., against Alexxa's) and is structurally dependent on NLRB processes for organizing non-union properties — included as a regulatory counterpart rather than a comparable organization.

Broad incumbents

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): Largest labor union in North America representing ~2 million workers across healthcare, property services, and public sector — overlaps with Local 226 on healthcare worker organizing (relevant to Culinary Health Fund operations) and large-scale political mobilization infrastructure.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: One of the largest U.S. unions representing 1.1 million workers across transportation, logistics, and hospitality — comparable as a major private-sector union with similar collective-bargaining model and significant political mobilization capability.
• AFL-CIO: U.S. national labor federation of 60 unions representing 12.5 million workers — Local 226 is connected through UNITE HERE and benefits from the federation's political and policy infrastructure; comparable as a national-scale labor advocacy organization.

Direct peers

• Bartenders Union Local 165: Joint affiliate that, together with Local 226, represents 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno — operates in the same Las Vegas hospitality market with identical collective bargaining focus and a shared back-office.
• UNITE HERE International Union: Culinary Union Local 226 is a Nevada affiliate of UNITE HERE, the parent international union representing 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service across North America — same industry, same model, same constituents at the federation level.
• UNITE HERE Local 11 (Southern California): Sister UNITE HERE local representing 32,000 hospitality workers across Southern California hotels, airports, and entertainment venues — directly comparable in scale, industry focus, and operating model to Local 226 in Las Vegas.
• UNITE HERE Local 100 (New York): UNITE HERE local representing 30,000+ hospitality workers in New York City hotels and convention centers — directly comparable industry (gaming/hospitality), similar member scale, and identical collective bargaining approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Culinary226
• YouTubeyoutube.com/cwu226
• Facebookfacebook.com/Culinary226
• Instagraminstagram.com/culinary226
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/culinary226

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Culinary Union Local 226