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| Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (UNITE HERE) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (UNITE HERE) |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Headquarters | New York City, Las Vegas |
| Members | ~300,000 (varies) |
| Key people | John Wilhelm, Bruce Raynor, D. Taylor |
| Affiliations | AFL–CIO |
Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (UNITE HERE) is a North American labor union representing workers in the hospitality and food service industries. The organization has been involved in organizing campaigns, collective bargaining, political advocacy, and labor actions across hotels, casinos, restaurants, and related workplaces. It has roots in earlier unions and has participated in high-profile campaigns that intersect with major corporations, municipal governments, and national labor federations.
Formed after a split and reconfiguration of labor organizations, the union's origin traces through mergers, schisms, and negotiations involving AFL–CIO, SEIU, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, Laborers' International Union of North America, Service Employees International Union, and leaders connected to events like the 2004 merger discussions and the organizational fallout that included figures such as John Sweeney, Andrew Stern, and Richard Trumka. Early campaigns linked the union to historic labor struggles reminiscent of actions by Cesar Chavez, A. Philip Randolph, and movements around workplace rights seen in the Civil Rights Movement. The union's timeline includes alliances with municipal labor councils, interactions with municipal administrations in cities such as Las Vegas, New York City, Chicago, and engagement with national labor policy debates involving the National Labor Relations Board and legislative efforts in the United States Congress and provincial legislatures in Ontario and British Columbia.
The union's governance incorporates an executive board, local chapters, and regional offices situated in metropolitan centers like New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver. Leadership roles have been held by figures connected to other institutions such as the AFL–CIO executive council, organized labor think tanks, and academic centers at universities like Columbia University and Harvard University. The structure includes bargaining units, joint labor-management committees, and coordinating bodies that interact with entities like the National Labor Relations Board, municipal labor councils, and employer associations exemplified by companies like Hilton, Marriott International, MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, and restaurant groups such as Darden Restaurants.
The union's membership spans hotel room attendants, cooks, servers, kitchen staff, and casino workers in jurisdictions across the United States, Canada, and territories, with immigrant communities from countries including Mexico, Philippines, Dominican Republic, India, and China representing substantial proportions. Membership trends reflect shifts in the hospitality sector linked to events like the Great Recession (2007–2009), the COVID-19 pandemic, and tourism booms in destinations such as Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, and Niagara Falls. Demographic profiles overlap with industries represented by unions such as UNITE HERE Local 11, UNITE HERE Local 1, and international counterparts in organizations associated with the International Labour Organization and provincial labor federations.
Collective bargaining campaigns have been negotiated with multinational corporations including Marriott International, Hilton, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, MGM Resorts International, and regional hospitality conglomerates, producing contracts addressing wages, benefits, pension plans, and grievance procedures. The union has conducted strikes, citywide boycotts, and coordinated actions comparable to campaigns led by Teamsters, United Auto Workers, and American Federation of Teachers; notable labor actions occurred in cities like New York City, Boston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Disputes have proceeded through forums such as the National Labor Relations Board and state labor tribunals, and have sometimes involved mediated settlements with participation from public figures and elected officials from offices like the Mayor of New York City and state governors.
The union engages in electoral politics, lobbying, and coalition-building with organizations such as the AFL–CIO, MoveOn.org, ACLU, and community groups in immigrant-rights coalitions. It has endorsed candidates in United States presidential elections, local mayoral contests in jurisdictions like Chicago and Las Vegas, and supported ballot measures affecting labor standards akin to campaigns around minimum wage and municipal ordinances. UNITE HERE has mobilized members for get-out-the-vote drives, testified before legislative committees in the United States Congress and provincial legislatures, and partnered with advocacy groups addressing workplace safety, public health responses to events like the COVID-19 pandemic, and municipal tourism policies.
Major negotiated contracts with corporations such as Marriott International, Hilton, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, MGM Resorts International, and casino operators have set precedents for wage scales, health benefits, and pension arrangements in the hospitality sector. Agreements reached in urban centers like New York City, Boston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco have influenced bargaining patterns among regional employers and prompted responses from business associations, tourism boards, and chambers such as local chambers of commerce and state hospitality associations. The union's campaigns have affected labor standards in supply chains including food service providers and outsourcing firms engaged by major venues and conventions hosted in convention centers and arenas.
The organization has faced criticism related to internal governance disputes, affiliation decisions, and financial matters raised in disputes reminiscent of controversies involving other unions such as SEIU and episodes in labor history tied to leaders scrutinized in public forums. Critics from industry groups, some employers, and competing labor organizations have challenged tactics including boycotts and strike strategies, while labor reform advocates and watchdogs have questioned transparency and resource allocation. Legal challenges have been brought before tribunals like the National Labor Relations Board and courts over bargaining units, secondary boycotts, and jurisdictional conflicts involving other unions and employer associations.