As he arrived in Las Vegas for the final presidential debate workers at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel gave him a real-world reminder of his labour law-breaking. Their aim was to push him and his managers into the bargaining for their contract.

As part of a week of events highlighting the real estate mogul’s refusal to recognise and bargain with their unions, Unite Here Locals 226 and 165, workers picketed and rallied at the hotel. The Las Vegas events are part of weeks of protests at Trump properties nationwide.

But just to make sure Trump got the point, on the afternoon of the October 19 debate, some 400 workers erected a symbolic wall of taco trucks in front of his hotel, while handing out free tacos to participants. Many of Trump Las Vegas hotel workers are Latinos and Latinas.

Progressive and Latino groups, including Mi Familia Vota (My family votes), the state AFL-CIO, For Our Future and She Wins We Win joined the protest event.

“Mr Trump, the 50 per cent co-owner of the property is legally required to negotiate with the Culinary Union after the National Labour Relations Board certified the union election earlier this year,” local spokeswoman Bethany Khan explained.

“Because Mr Trump’s company has refused to bargain, the Culinary Union and Unite Here called for a national #BoycottTrump of Trump hotels and of businesses Trump owns, has invested in, or has partnered with until the Trump Hotel Las Vegas honours its legal duty to bargain with the union. The national boycott is supported by the AFL-CIO,” she concluded.

As Trump faced off that evening against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, trade unionists followed their demonstration with a debate-watching party. The next day, they headed out onto the hustings, again “to launch a massive early-vote campaign,” Unite Here said.

And to show solidarity with other oppressed groups, the two Locals participated in the Las Vegas Pride Parade on October 20.

Trump and Clinton were debating, in Las Vegas, the economy, immigration reform, the federal debt, social security and Medicare, foreign policy and fitness for the Oval office.

Members of the two Unite Here locals — who voted last December to join — plus many of the 1,500 Trump Las Vegas workers, demand that Trump’s minions at the hotel obey the NLRB’s bargaining orders.

By Mark Gruenberg

• This article appeared at peoplesworld.org.