EDITORIAL: The Culinary union’s odd crusades
The mighty Culinary union political machine has thrown its weight behind the creation of a state lottery and the imposition of rent control. Rarely do union leaders make such a to-do about actively working against the best interests of their members.
On Tuesday, the union sent out a missive highlighting its support for Senate Bill 426 and Assembly Joint Resolution 5. The former would create a new bureaucracy to regulate rent increases in Nevada, which, the union maintains, isn’t “rent control” but “neighborhood stability.” The latter represents the first step toward establishing a state lottery, with the proceeds funding mental health initiatives and education.
But are union officials looking out for working Nevadans?
Whether or not a lottery makes sense for Nevada is a matter of debate, but it is indisputable that such games are highly regressive, with low-income players contributing a bigger percentage of their financial resources to the games than the wealthy and middle class. Those who habitually buy lottery tickets in hopes of a large payoff are typically poorer and more vulnerable.
One can certainly argue that individuals have a right to make their own decisions with their own money. But in terms of the union’s agenda, how does this sudden embrace of a state lottery translate into a benefit for Culinary members? Are there any potentially negative ramifications for the state’s largest industry, which employs thousands of Culinary workers? This seems like an odd crusade for the union, to say the least.
As for SB426, capping annual rent increases and making it more difficult for landlords to evict problem tenants will only exacerbate housing shortages by discouraging investment and renovation. The rent cap proposal exempts new construction, but that just means builders may buy themselves a little time before falling under the law’s grasp. And smoothing the way for renters who can’t pay their bills is no way to attract potential landlords to the market.
Rents and housing costs in Southern Nevada have fallen in recent months. The shortage of affordable housing is directly tied to supply and demand. If the Culinary wants to help its members, it should agitate for policies that dismantle regulatory barriers to development, increasing local housing stock and leading to more affordable rents and mortgages. Rent “stabilization” schemes will make things worse in the long run, particularly for those on the margins. See: California.
The Culinary has a long track record of success when it comes to influencing policy in Nevada. But union leaders aren’t doing their members any favors by promoting a lottery and rent control. Quite the opposite.
