The Nevada branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) recently endorsed an upcoming candidate for the Nevada State Assembly.
Alexis Esparza was raised in Las Vegas and works in the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, and has a long history working with the state’s SEIU branch, Local 1107. Union leadership said in a press release that she was a Chief Union Steward and a co-founder of the branch’s Latino Caucus.
She is running for Nevada’s State Assembly seat for District 1, which covers a northern part of Las Vegas.
“Union candidates know the struggle of union people, period,” Debbie Springer, Political Chair of SEIU 1107 said. “That’s why we need members in Carson City. We need more union members in Washington, DC, because they know our struggles. They’ve lived them. They’ve been there. They know what it’s like.”
Esparza’s platform focuses on making everyday life more affordable for the Nevada’s working class. She vowed to fight for workers’ rights, access to affordable healthcare, access to affordable housing, and overall lowering the cost of living in the state.
“I want to make sure that the bills that we’re passing, the decisions that are being made, are always with the working families in mind,” Esparza said, “and making sure that we are doing everything possible to make sure that they aren’t struggling just to get by in their everyday life.”
Esparza said that Nevada’s legislators too often listen to lobbyists or corporate donors over their constituents, and she is running to make it so working people can have a voice at the legislative table.
But both Esparza and leaders of SEIU Local 1107 acknowledged that Nevada has significant roadblocks in the way of accomplishing the goals laid out in Esparza’s political platform, but SEIU Local 1107 President Michele Maese said that Esparza holds the key to solving those problems.
“Our members are natural organizers. They know what it takes to get the job done, and in order to get the job done, you have to be able to talk to people,” SEIU Local 1107 President Michele Maese said. “Alexis is going to be a fantastic organizer. She’s going to make it make sense. She’s going to get up there and she’s going to do her job like she does every day on the front line for workers here in Nevada.”
Mark Credico is an independent journalist working in Southern Nevada. He covers subjects including government accountability, homelessness, workers' unions and the environment.
