Jocelyn "Joyce" Egbalic oral history interview (OH-03353)

Oral history interview with Jocelyn "Joyce" Egbalic conducted by Stefani Evans for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Born and raised in Luzon, Philippines, Egbalic recalls her parents' careers as an architectural engineer and draftsman for a municipality. After she graduated high school, the family joined relatives who lived in Minnesota. There, her father found work as a dishwasher and her mother as a filing clerk, while Joyce worked at Wendy's and McDonald's to help support her family. The family then migrated to San Francisco, California, where a relative had found Joyce's father a job as a mail clerk. After Joyce had a baby daughter, she returned to Minnesota but moved to relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2003 where she began working at a Filipino restaurant. The restaurant owners expected her to work long hours with no breaks and no days off; after three months, she found part-time cocktail work at the Rio and quit the restaurant; she also became a shop steward at the Rio for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. To supplement her income, she found full-time work at the non-union Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. In this interview, Joyce discusses her Culinary Union steward duties, job security, medical benefits, and her work as a cocktail server at the Rio versus at the non-union Hard Rock. Digital audio available; no transcript available.