UNITEHERE

UNITEHERE
Name	UNITE HERE
Founded	2004
Headquarters	New York City
Members	~300,000
Key people	D. Taylor, W. H. Lewis
Affiliated	AFL–CIO, Change to Win
Industries	Hospitality, gaming, food service, manufacturing, laundry

UNITEHERE

UNITE HERE is a North American labor union representing workers in hospitality, gaming, food service, textile manufacturing, and laundry sectors. It formed in the early 21st century through a merger that involved prominent labor organizations and has been active in collective bargaining, political campaigns, and organizing drives across the United States and Canada. The union has engaged with municipal officials, state legislatures, federal agencies, and transnational corporations in pursuit of labor agreements and worker protections.

History

The union originated from a 2004 merger between two established labor bodies closely associated with the broader trade union movement: the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union, both of which traced lineages to earlier formations like the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union and the Building Service Employees International Union in the 20th century. Early leadership transitions involved figures connected to the AFL–CIO and the Change to Win Federation, and the union quickly engaged in organizing campaigns in major urban centers such as New York City, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, it negotiated high-profile contracts with corporations like Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, and regional gaming companies active in jurisdictions such as Nevada and Atlantic City. The union’s history includes collaborations with immigrant rights movements, civil rights organizations like the NAACP, and labor coalitions including the Laborer’s International Union of North America and the Service Employees International Union.

Organization and structure

The union is organized into local unions and regional bodies that mirror labor structures found in unions like the United Auto Workers and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Its governance includes an international executive board, convention delegates, and staff who coordinate bargaining units in sectors analogous to those represented by the Culinary Workers Union in Nevada and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. Officers have engaged with municipal authorities in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston to implement living wage campaigns and enforce collective bargaining agreements. The union maintains training and apprenticeship programs comparable to initiatives by the American Federation of Teachers and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and has collaborated with legal advocacy organizations including the National Employment Law Project and civil liberties groups.

Membership and demographics

Membership spans hospitality, gaming, airport services, food processing, and textile manufacturing sectors, with concentrations in metropolitan regions including New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, and Toronto. The union’s membership profile has significant representation of women and immigrant workers, reflecting demographic patterns observed in sectors represented by the Restaurant Employees Union and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Age, language, and nationality diversity have factored into outreach strategies similar to those used by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Amalgamated Transit Union. Membership numbers have fluctuated in response to economic cycles, policy changes in administrations like those of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, and shifts in industries affected by events such as the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major campaigns and labor actions

The union has led high-profile campaigns and strikes in hospitality hubs, staging labor actions reminiscent of historic strikes such as the Pullman Strike in scale of visibility if not duration. Notable campaigns targeted employers including Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, and casino operators in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and included coordinated citywide strikes, contract negotiations, and public rallies akin to tactics used by the United Farm Workers and the Teamsters. Organizing drives extended to airport workers and food service employees at venues like John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, and involved partnerships with immigrant and community groups comparable to alliances with the Service Employees International Union and the National Domestic Workers Alliance. The union also participated in legislative advocacy on living wage laws and hospitality sector regulations in states such as California and Nevada, coordinating demonstrations and boycott campaigns similar in approach to those by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Political activity and endorsements

The union has been active in electoral politics, endorsing candidates and contributing to campaigns for municipal, state, and federal offices, engaging with political actors from the Democratic Party as well as labor-affiliated political action committees modeled after groups like the SEIU Political Action Fund. It has mobilized members for get-out-the-vote efforts in battleground states, coordinated with coalitions such as Working America and community groups including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and lobbied on policy issues before bodies like the United States Congress and provincial legislatures in Ontario. Endorsements and political engagement have involved interactions with presidential campaigns, gubernatorial races, and mayoral contests in cities including Philadelphia and Seattle.

Criticisms and controversies

The union has faced internal disputes and public controversies, including leadership disputes, factional tensions reminiscent of earlier conflicts within the AFL–CIO, and disagreements over strategy with other labor organizations such as the Change to Win Federation. Critics have raised concerns about allocation of resources, bargaining priorities, and responses to employer demands, and legal challenges have involved labor law frameworks like the National Labor Relations Act. The organization’s political spending and endorsements have also attracted scrutiny from business groups and political opponents, while defections and splits mirrored disputes seen in unions such as the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers. Recent controversies have included debates over pension commitments, contract enforcement in tourism-dependent economies, and responses to public health crises similar to controversies faced by other major unions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Category:Trade unions in the United States Category:Trade unions in Canada