Culinary touts app offering temp workers access to jobs with union wages

A newly launched app offers temporary workers access to jobs with culinary and bartenders union wages and other benefits, according to a news release Friday.

The app, by Goodwrx, finds shift-based or long-term W-2 work for users. The app developers agreed to follow collective bargaining agreements covered by union employers so the app’s users can receive union wages, health care benefits and protections offered by Culinary Local 226 and Bartenders Union 165.

“Culinary Union has created a strong middle class in Nevada in nearly 9 decades and our union has a long proven track record of making sure no worker is left behind whether full time, part time, or temporary,” Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, said in the release. “The Culinary Union will not allow workers to be discarded as there isn’t a shortage of workers, there is a shortage of good jobs with benefits and wages and that’s why the Culinary and Bartenders Unions negotiated with covered employers and Goodwrx for temporary employees to get strong union wages, health care benefits, and protections.”

In the app, temporary workers can accrue hours toward eligibilty to receive a pension through the Culinary Pension and union health care through the Culinary Health Fund, according to the release. Temp workers can also obtain part-time or full-time status with employers as soon as positions open up.

Other benefits include paid lunch and on-the-clock breaks, protections against sexual harassment or discrimination and access to unemployment insurance through contributions made by Goodwrx.

“Goodwrx is an exciting solution to protect temp workers like me,” Dean Vassil, a bartender, said in the release. “Temp workers don’t typically have the protections that union workers have such as job security, health care benefits, grievance procedure, or protections from owners or operators change, so I’m happy to see that I can get flexible work, am better protected on-the-job, and have access to good union benefits.”

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.