Preciado, Mirna

Mirna Preciado was born July 21, 1956 and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. When her family decided to immigrate in 1980, she decided to reach for her American dream. Preciado’s husband wanted her to be a stay-at-home mom, but the idea of working and buying her own bread intrigued her. She became a waitress at the new Margarita’s Restaurant in the Frontier Hotel. Though she liked her work, she was bothered by the other workers with requests to join the Culinary Union Local 226. Soon, those workers became her guardian angels. In 1991, Preciado went out on the longest strike in Culinary Union history – 6 years, 4 months, and 10 days. Her leadership and organizing skills came to the forefront and in 1999, she joined the ranks of Culinary Union management, first as an organizer, then trainer, and finally a director.