Author Archives for Ann Kammerer

UNITE HERE Remembers the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

March 22, 2024 9:00 am Published by Leave a comment

1March 25, 1911…

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City’s’s Greenwich Village was one of the worst workplace disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The fire took the lives of 146 young immigrant garment workers. It also galvanized a reform movement to raise standards for workers.

“It is by remembering our past that we prepare to fight for our future. We are measured by how we protect the most vulnerable and ensure their health and safety to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that is our guiding light.”

—D. Taylor, President, UNITE HERE

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Firefighters struggled to save workers and control the blaze at what was then known as the Asch Building, on the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place. The tallest fire truck ladders reached only to the 6th floor, 30 feet below those standing on window ledges waiting for rescue. Many jumped from the windows to their deaths. Photographer: unknown, March 25, 1911.

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An officer stands at the Asch Building’s 9th floor window after the Triangle Fire. Sewing machines, drive shafts, and other wreckage of the factory fire are piled in the center of the room. Photographer: Brown Brothers, 1911.

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In the April 5th funeral procession for the seven unidentified fire victims, members of the United Hebrew Trades of New York and the Ladies Waist and Dressmakers Union Local 25, International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the local that organized Triangle Waist Company workers, carry banners proclaiming, “We Mourn Our Loss.” Photographer: unknown, April 5, 1911.

 

 

triangle5The Triangle Fire Memorial to the six unidentified victims in the Evergreens Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY, was created in 1912 by Evelyn Beatrice Longman. The six bodies were all recently identified by Michael Hirsch, who worked tirelessly to recognize the names of the unidentified victims.

The tragedy still dwells in the collective memory of the nation and of the international labor movement. The events of the fire galvanized a reform movement to improve conditions in all workplaces by encouraging unions for workers. A nationwide adoption of fire safety standards soon followed, and new labor codes were implemented first in New York State, then across the country.

The victims names:

• Lizzie Adler, 24
• Anna Altman, 16
• Annina Ardito, 25
• Rose Bassino, 31
• Vincenza Benanti, 22
• Yetta Berger, 18
• Essie Bernstein, 19
• Jacob Bernstein, 38
• Morris Bernstein, 19
• Vincenza Billota, 16
• Abraham Binowitz, 30
• Gussie Birman, 22
• Rosie Brenman, 23
• Sarah Brenman, 17
• Ida Brodsky, 15
• Sarah Brodsky, 21
• Ada Brucks, 18
• Laura Brunetti, 17
• Josephine Cammarata, 17
• Francesca Caputo, 17
• Josephine Carlisi, 31
• Albina Caruso, 20
• Annie Ciminello, 36
• Rosina Cirrito, 18
• Anna Cohen, 25
• Annie Colletti, 30
• Sarah Cooper, 16
• Michelina Cordiano, 25
• Bessie Dashefsky, 25
• Josie Del Castillo, 21
• Clara Dockman, 19
• Kalman Donick, 24
• Nettie Driansky, 21
• Celia Eisenberg, 17
• Dora Evans, 18
• Rebecca Feibisch, 20
• Yetta Fichtenholtz, 18
• Daisy Lopez Fitze, 26
• Mary Floresta, 26
• Max Florin, 23
• Jenne Franco, 16
• Rose Friedman, 18
• Diana Gerjuoy, 18
• Molly Gerstein, 17
• Catherine Giannattasio, 22
• Celia Gitlin, 17
• Esther Goldstein, 20
• Lena Goldstein, 22
• Mary Goldstein, 18
• Yetta Goldstein, 20
• Rosie Grasso, 16
• Bertha Greb, 25
• Rachel Grossman, 18
• Mary Herman, 40
• Esther Hochfeld, 21
• Fannie Hollander, 18
• Pauline Horowitz, 19
• Ida Jukofsky, 19
• Ida Kanowitz, 18
• Tessie Kaplan, 18
• Beckie Kessler, 19
• Jacob Klein, 23
• Beckie Koppelman, 16
• Bertha Kula, 19
• Tillie Kupferschmidt, 16
• Benjamin Kurtz, 19
• Annie L’Abbate, 16
• Fannie Lansner, 21
• Maria Giuseppa Lauletti, 33
• Jennie Lederman, 21
• Max Lehrer, 18
• Sam Lehrer, 19
• Kate Leone, 14
• Mary Leventhal, 22
• Jennie Levin, 19
• Pauline Levine, 19
• Nettie Liebowitz, 23
• Rose Liermark, 19
• Bettina Maiale, 18
• Frances Maiale, 21
• Catherine Maltese, 39
• Lucia Maltese, 20
• Rosaria Maltese, 14
• Maria Manaria, 27
• Rose Mankofsky, 22
• Rose Mehl, 15
• Yetta Meyers, 19
• Gaetana Midolo, 16
• Annie Miller, 16
• Beckie Neubauer, 19
• Annie Nicholas, 18
• Michelina Nicolosi, 21
• Sadie Nussbaum, 18
• Julia Oberstein, 19
• Rose Oringer, 19
• Beckie Ostrovsky, 20
• Annie Pack, 18
• Provindenza Panno, 43
• Antonietta Pasqualicchio, 16
• Ida Pearl, 20
• Jennie Pildescu, 18
• Vincenza Pinelli, 30
• Emilia Prato, 21
• Concetta Prestifilippo, 22
• Beckie Reines, 18
• Louis Rosen (Loeb), 33
• Fannie Rosen, 21
• Israel Rosen, 17
• Julia Rosen, 35
• Yetta Rosenbaum, 22
• Jennie Rosenberg, 21
• Gussie Rosenfeld, 22
• Emma Rothstein, 22
• Theodore Rotner, 22
• Sarah Sabasowitz, 17
• Santina Salemi, 24
• Sarafina Saracino, 25
• Teresina Saracino, 20
• Gussie Schiffman, 18
• Theresa Schmidt, 32
• Ethel Schneider, 20
• Violet Schochet, 21
• Golda Schpunt, 19
• Margaret Schwartz, 24
• Jacob Seltzer, 33
• Rosie Shapiro, 17
• Ben Sklover, 25
• Rose Sorkin, 18
• Annie Starr, 30
• Jennie Stein, 18
• Jennie Stellino, 16
• Jennie Stiglitz, 22
• Sam Taback, 20
• Clotilde Terranova, 22
• Isabella Tortorelli, 17
• Meyer Utal, 23
• Catherine Uzzo, 22
• Frieda Velakofsky, 20
• Bessie Viviano, 15
• Rosie Weiner, 20
• Sarah Weintraub, 17
• Tessie Weisner, 21
• Dora Welfowitz, 21
• Bertha Wendroff, 18
• Joseph Wilson, 22
• Sonia Wisotsky, 17

UNITE HERE is a proud successor union to the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the union to which some Triangle factory workers belonged. Most years, UNITE HERE staff and members gather at the union headquarters in New York to remember the victims with a reading of their names and testimony from one of the survivors.

In the time since the fire, UNITE HERE members in the U.S. and Canada have continued the fight for safer jobs. We fight for workloads that are safe, for workplaces that are free from violence, for workers to have a voice in guiding safety procedures at their jobs, and for one job to be enough for workers to support themselves and their families.

As a union, we are also committed to helping working people of all backgrounds achieve greater social and economic equality through good jobs that are covered by union contracts. 

In 2023, a permanent memorial at the site of the fire was unveiled in memory of the workers, displaying their names along with spoken messages in three languages: English, Italian, and Yiddish.

The memorial tells the stories of the victims and is now a landmark site to visit, mourn, and learn at the very site where factory workers labored… and needlessly perished.

To learn more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, visit Cornell University’s Kheel Center.

“Southside Needs Good Jobs and Worker Power,” By Rosalyn Carter

November 6, 2023 11:13 am Published by Leave a comment

              Rosalyn Carter

I moved to Richmond my hometown of Farmville, Virginia when I was nineteen because there no jobs there. Growing up, I watched my parents work around the clock as they struggled to support my brother and me. I started working when I was fifteen at the McDonald’s in Farmville the second I was old enough. That’s why I’ve been knocking doors in support of the resort casino in Southside and the jobs that it will bring.

Southside is hurting. I hear it about it all the time from friends and neighbors. Inflation is making everything so expensive, and we just don’t have enough jobs that are actually in our community. The jobs we do have don’t pay well enough or have good benefits.

The resort casino could change all of that.

I’ve been a food service worker at Virginia Commonwealth University for more than sixteen years. Me and my co-workers spent most of that time talking about how we needed a union. Last year, we fought for and won that union together. Now, I see a future where I can better provide for my four children, where I can retire one day and my kids can have a better life than me.

Workers at Richmond Grand will have a fair pathway to decide on unionization. That means the opportunity to have what we won at VCU, or what my brothers and sisters in Maryland have won at MGM National Harbor. At MGM, the non-tipped minimum wage will go up to $24.50 an on November 1st, the employer pays 99% of healthcare costs, and union members have a pension and legal service plan.

On the construction side, workers can make up to $35 an hour with good benefits in healthcare and retirement. Between the construction union agreement and the organizing agreement on the hospitality side, unions will be part of every phase of this project.

I think Richmond workers, especially Black workers, deserve a shot at those union standards. And for everyone worried about promises of good jobs not being fulfilled, I know firsthand that the best chance workers have of getting the wages and benefits we deserve is through a union.

The company can’t promise us what our wages and benefits will be right now, because if workers at Richmond Grand want the union, they’ll be the ones to make those decisions. That’s why this isn’t just about jobs, it’s about building power for our community and for Richmond workers.

There’s a lot of people of color without jobs or opportunities in Richmond. We really don’t have first dibs at the best opportunities. I need that to change. Not just for me and for my neighbors, but for my kids. I want them to have a better future, and that means having access to good jobs. We have an opportunity to build that for ourselves and our kids with this project. I hope we recognize what’s in front of us and pass it on November 7th.

UNITE HERE Remembers and Honors those Lost on September 11

September 11, 2023 9:13 am Published by Leave a comment

commemOn the anniversary of September 11, 2001, UNITE HERE remembers all those who lost their lives on that tragic day. We hold especially close the memory of our 43 sisters and brothers from UNITE HERE Local 100 who died while working at Windows on the World, a restaurant located at the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

In memory of our fallen brothers and sisters at Windows on the World:

  • Sophia Buruwa Addo
  • Shabbir Ahmed
  • Antonio J. Alvarez
  • Telmo Alvear
  • Manuel O. Asitimbay
  • Samuel Ayala
  • Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista
  • Jesus Cabezas
  • Manuel Gregorio Chavez
  • Mohammed S. Chowdhury
  • Jose De Pena
  • Nancy Diaz
  • Henry Fernandez
  • Lucille Virgen Francis
  • Enrique A. Gomez
  • Jose B. Gomez
  • Wilder Gomez
  • Ysidro Hidalgo Tejada
  • John Holland
  • Francois Jean-Pierre
  • Eliezer Jimenez Jr.
  • Abdoulaye Kone
  • Victor Kwarkye
  • Jeffrey Latouche
  • Lebardo Lopez
  • Jan Maciejewski
  • Manuel Mejia
  • Antonio Melendez
  • Nana Akwasi Minkah
  • Martin Morales
  • Blanca Morocho
  • Jerome Nedd
  • Juan Nieves Jr.
  • Jose R. Nunez
  • Isidro Ottenwalder
  • Jesus Ovalles
  • Victor Paz Gutierrez
  • Alejo Perez
  • Moises Rivas
  • David B. Rodriguez Vargas
  • Gilbert Ruiz
  • Juan Salas
  • Abdoul Karim Traore

The families and coworkers of those mostly immigrant workers talk about their loss, their dreams, and their challenges in the movie “Windows.”

UNITE HERE Endorses Biden-Harris 2024

June 16, 2023 10:31 am Published by Leave a comment

UNITE HERE is proud to endorse the most pro-union administration of our lifetime — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — for a second term in the White House.

In 2020, the pandemic presented the greatest crisis in our union’s history. Despite the obstacles, thousands of UNITE HERE housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, and other hospitality workers led the largest door-to-door canvassing program in crucial battleground states to help win the vote for the Biden-Harris administration. From their first day in office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have centered on the urgent needs of working-class people.

When millions of workers like our members needed our federal government to step up, this administration rose to meet the moment, working with unions like UNITE HERE to pass the American Rescue Plan — a bold program to stimulate the economy and offer relief to millions of Americans — to extend a lifeline to our families. We cannot overstate the significance of this legislation, which prevented millions of laid-off workers from losing their health insurance in the middle of the pandemic, provided stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment insurance to keep families afloat, protected retirees’ pensions, and much more.

The Biden-Harris administration has used every power available to the President to support workers seeking to organize a union and bargain for what we deserve, speaking out in support of courageous organizing drives, advocating for the PRO Act to fix broken labor law, working to reform the National Labor Relations Board, and appointing pro-union officials to key positions. This administration has our backs.

In the face of right-wing politicians seeking to take away rights from Black people and people of color, from immigrants, from women, from LGBTQ+ and trans people, and all workers — like the diverse membership of UNITE HERE — the Biden-Harris administration has stood with our union in fighting for freedom and justice.

As 2024 approaches, we have rising fascism to defeat and more to win for workers. UNITE HERE hospitality workers stand ready to hit the doors and do our part to deliver victory.

UNITE HERE urges President Biden to re-designate El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and to make an initial designation of Guatemala for TPS

May 4, 2023 3:31 pm Published by Leave a comment

UNITE HERE International Union General Vice President Enrique Fernandez said: “Our union literally has tens of thousands of members and their families from these countries. Many of these members left their homelands because they experienced environmental catastrophes, or may have encountered human rights violations or other political crises. Although TPS is only a temporary measure, it has provided some relief for these members and their families, including protection from removal and work permits. For their sake, we urge President Biden to renew these TPS country designations now.”

General Vice President Fernandez pointed out that countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua had experienced tremendous devastation after hurricanes destroyed much of the infrastructures in these countries and left thousands without homes. He added: “ Conditions in these countries have not recovered. We need to protect these workers and their rights.”

The Trump Administration tried to eliminate TPS and a UNITE HERE member was among those who filed suit in federal court to rescind that decision in the Ramos case. UNITE HERE remains in this fight to protect TPS workers and their families. Vice President Fernandez said: “Now is the time for the Biden Administration to extend these TPS provisions and protect these workers and their families who simply cannot return to their native countries.”

2023 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Commemoration

March 22, 2023 8:24 pm Published by Leave a comment

1March 25, 2023, is the 112th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York’s Greenwich Village. This tragedy took the lives of 146 young immigrant garment workers and galvanized a reform movement to raise standards for workers.

Most years, UNITE HERE staff and members gather at the union headquarters in New York to remember the victims with a reading of their names and testimony from one of the survivors. We offer these historic resources to commemorate the 146 immigrant workers whose sacrifices led to safer workplaces. May their memories be for a blessing.

To learn more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, visit Cornell University’s Kheel Center.

This incident has had great significance to this day because it highlights the inhumane working conditions to which industrial workers can be subjected. To many, its horrors epitomize the extremes of industrialism.

“It is by remembering our past that we prepare to fight for our future. We are measured by how we protect the most vulnerable and ensure their health and safety to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that is our guiding light.”

—D. Taylor, President, UNITE HERE

The tragedy still dwells in the collective memory of the nation and of the international labor movement. The victims of the tragedy are still celebrated as martyrs at the hands of industrial greed.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire galvanized a movement for safe working conditions, housekeepers across the U.S. and Canada are continuing the fight for safer jobs. Learn more about what UNITE HERE is doing today to fight for safer working conditions for women working in hospitality across North America.

Background on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

The fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City is one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The Asch Building was one of the new “fireproof” buildings, but the blaze on March 25th was not their first. It was also not the only unsafe building in the city.

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On the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, fire fighters struggle to save workers and control the blaze. The tallest fire truck ladders reached only to the sixth floor, 30 feet below those standing on window ledges waiting for rescue. Many men and women jumped from the windows to their deaths. Photographer: unknown, March 25, 1911.

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An officer stands at the Asch Building’s 9th floor window after the Triangle Fire. Sewing machines, drive shafts, and other wreckage of the factory fire are piled in the center of the room. Photographer: Brown Brothers, 1911.

triangle4

In the April 5th funeral procession for the seven unidentified fire victims, members of the United Hebrew Trades of New York and the Ladies Waist and Dressmakers Union Local 25, International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, the local that organized Triangle Waist Company workers, carry banners proclaiming “We Mourn Our Loss.” Photographer: unknown, April 5, 1911.

 

 

triangle5The Triangle Fire Memorial to the six unidentified victims in the Evergreens Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY, was created in 1912 by Evelyn Beatrice Longman. The six bodies were all recently identified by Michael Hirsch, who worked tirelessly to recognize the names of the unidentified victims.

The victims names:

• Lizzie Adler, 24
• Anna Altman, 16
• Annina Ardito, 25
• Rose Bassino, 31
• Vincenza Benanti, 22
• Yetta Berger, 18
• Essie Bernstein, 19
• Jacob Bernstein, 38
• Morris Bernstein, 19
• Vincenza Billota, 16
• Abraham Binowitz, 30
• Gussie Birman, 22
• Rosie Brenman, 23
• Sarah Brenman, 17
• Ida Brodsky, 15
• Sarah Brodsky, 21
• Ada Brucks, 18
• Laura Brunetti, 17
• Josephine Cammarata, 17
• Francesca Caputo, 17
• Josephine Carlisi, 31
• Albina Caruso, 20
• Annie Ciminello, 36
• Rosina Cirrito, 18
• Anna Cohen, 25
• Annie Colletti, 30
• Sarah Cooper, 16
• Michelina Cordiano, 25
• Bessie Dashefsky, 25
• Josie Del Castillo, 21
• Clara Dockman, 19
• Kalman Donick, 24
• Nettie Driansky, 21
• Celia Eisenberg, 17
• Dora Evans, 18
• Rebecca Feibisch, 20
• Yetta Fichtenholtz, 18
• Daisy Lopez Fitze, 26
• Mary Floresta, 26
• Max Florin, 23
• Jenne Franco, 16
• Rose Friedman, 18
• Diana Gerjuoy, 18
• Molly Gerstein, 17
• Catherine Giannattasio, 22
• Celia Gitlin, 17
• Esther Goldstein, 20
• Lena Goldstein, 22
• Mary Goldstein, 18
• Yetta Goldstein, 20
• Rosie Grasso, 16
• Bertha Greb, 25
• Rachel Grossman, 18
• Mary Herman, 40
• Esther Hochfeld, 21
• Fannie Hollander, 18
• Pauline Horowitz, 19
• Ida Jukofsky, 19
• Ida Kanowitz, 18
• Tessie Kaplan, 18
• Beckie Kessler, 19
• Jacob Klein, 23
• Beckie Koppelman, 16
• Bertha Kula, 19
• Tillie Kupferschmidt, 16
• Benjamin Kurtz, 19
• Annie L’Abbate, 16
• Fannie Lansner, 21
• Maria Giuseppa Lauletti, 33
• Jennie Lederman, 21
• Max Lehrer, 18
• Sam Lehrer, 19
• Kate Leone, 14
• Mary Leventhal, 22
• Jennie Levin, 19
• Pauline Levine, 19
• Nettie Liebowitz, 23
• Rose Liermark, 19
• Bettina Maiale, 18
• Frances Maiale, 21
• Catherine Maltese, 39
• Lucia Maltese, 20
• Rosaria Maltese, 14
• Maria Manaria, 27
• Rose Mankofsky, 22
• Rose Mehl, 15
• Yetta Meyers, 19
• Gaetana Midolo, 16
• Annie Miller, 16
• Beckie Neubauer, 19
• Annie Nicholas, 18
• Michelina Nicolosi, 21
• Sadie Nussbaum, 18
• Julia Oberstein, 19
• Rose Oringer, 19
• Beckie Ostrovsky, 20
• Annie Pack, 18
• Provindenza Panno, 43
• Antonietta Pasqualicchio, 16
• Ida Pearl, 20
• Jennie Pildescu, 18
• Vincenza Pinelli, 30
• Emilia Prato, 21
• Concetta Prestifilippo, 22
• Beckie Reines, 18
• Louis Rosen (Loeb), 33
• Fannie Rosen, 21
• Israel Rosen, 17
• Julia Rosen, 35
• Yetta Rosenbaum, 22
• Jennie Rosenberg, 21
• Gussie Rosenfeld, 22
• Emma Rothstein, 22
• Theodore Rotner, 22
• Sarah Sabasowitz, 17
• Santina Salemi, 24
• Sarafina Saracino, 25
• Teresina Saracino, 20
• Gussie Schiffman, 18
• Theresa Schmidt, 32
• Ethel Schneider, 20
• Violet Schochet, 21
• Golda Schpunt, 19
• Margaret Schwartz, 24
• Jacob Seltzer, 33
• Rosie Shapiro, 17
• Ben Sklover, 25
• Rose Sorkin, 18
• Annie Starr, 30
• Jennie Stein, 18
• Jennie Stellino, 16
• Jennie Stiglitz, 22
• Sam Taback, 20
• Clotilde Terranova, 22
• Isabella Tortorelli, 17
• Meyer Utal, 23
• Catherine Uzzo, 22
• Frieda Velakofsky, 20
• Bessie Viviano, 15
• Rosie Weiner, 20
• Sarah Weintraub, 17
• Tessie Weisner, 21
• Dora Welfowitz, 21
• Bertha Wendroff, 18
• Joseph Wilson, 22
• Sonia Wisotsky, 17

On October 11, 2023, a permanent memorial in memory of the workers was unveiled in New York City. The memorial tells the stories of the victims and is now a landmark site to visit, mourn, and learn at the very site where factory workers labored… and needlessly perished.

The Legacy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Fighting for Housekeeper Health and Safety Today

March 22, 2023 8:24 pm Published by Leave a comment

One hundred and twelve years since Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire killed 146 young immigrant garment workers and galvanized a movement for safe working conditions, housekeepers across the U.S. and Canada are continuing the fight for safer jobs.

The hotel industry saw the pandemic as an opportunity to increase profits by permanently ending the standard of automatic daily housekeeping. That made housekeepers’ workloads even more painful, because hotel rooms are dirtier and harder to clean if they go days without housekeeping. In hotels where daily room cleaning was eliminated, housekeepers reported increased stress, fatigue, physical pain, and higher reliance on pain medication.

So housekeepers fought back. Hotel workers led rallies and marches to demand that hotels restore full service. Thousands of housekeepers in Atlantic City prepared to strike over the issue. And housekeepers across our union made videos sharing stories about filthy rooms and asking guests to choose daily housekeeping.

We’ve now secured agreements or legislation restoring automatic daily housekeeping at hotels in dozens of cities across the U.S. — including Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, and more.

We’re proud of restoring automatic daily housekeeping at so many union hotels, but that only widens the gap between the union and non-union working conditions. Non-union housekeepers in hotels that have eliminated automatic daily housekeeping are now facing heavier workloads in addition to inferior wages and benefits — and our fight continues for the safety of all hotel workers.

UNITE HERE Remembers and Honors those Lost on September 11

September 11, 2022 12:00 am Published by Leave a comment

commemOn the anniversary of September 11, 2001, UNITE HERE remembers all those who lost their lives on that tragic day. We hold especially close the memory of our 43 sisters and brothers from UNITE HERE Local 100 who died while working at Windows on the World, a restaurant located at the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

In memory of our fallen brothers and sisters at Windows on the World:

  • Sophia Buruwa Addo
  • Shabbir Ahmed
  • Antonio J. Alvarez
  • Telmo Alvear
  • Manuel O. Asitimbay
  • Samuel Ayala
  • Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista
  • Jesus Cabezas
  • Manuel Gregorio Chavez
  • Mohammed S. Chowdhury
  • Jose De Pena
  • Nancy Diaz
  • Henry Fernandez
  • Lucille Virgen Francis
  • Enrique A. Gomez
  • Jose B. Gomez
  • Wilder Gomez
  • Ysidro Hidalgo Tejada
  • John Holland
  • Francois Jean-Pierre
  • Eliezer Jimenez Jr.
  • Abdoulaye Kone
  • Victor Kwarkye
  • Jeffrey Latouche
  • Lebardo Lopez
  • Jan Maciejewski
  • Manuel Mejia
  • Antonio Melendez
  • Nana Akwasi Minkah
  • Martin Morales
  • Blanca Morocho
  • Jerome Nedd
  • Juan Nieves Jr.
  • Jose R. Nunez
  • Isidro Ottenwalder
  • Jesus Ovalles
  • Victor Paz Gutierrez
  • Alejo Perez
  • Moises Rivas
  • David B. Rodriguez Vargas
  • Gilbert Ruiz
  • Juan Salas
  • Abdoul Karim Traore

The families and coworkers of those mostly immigrant workers talk about their loss, their dreams, and their challenges in the movie “Windows.”

Hilton Metrotown Workers Win Contract Ending B.C.’s Longest Hotel Lockout

May 16, 2022 11:54 am Published by Leave a comment

97 Terminated Staff Win Right to Return to Jobs

Burnaby, B.C. — Hilton Metrotown hotel workers locked out since April 15, 2021, voted May 11, 2022, to ratify a new contract by a 98% yes vote. The vote to approve this groundbreaking three-year collective bargaining agreement ends the picket line outside of the hotel and returns staff to their jobs. The 391-day lockout at Hilton Metrotown has been the longest hotel lockout in B.C.’s history.

Hilton Metrotown workers won full recall rights for 97 terminated workers without loss of seniority or wages. Reinstating workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic was a top issue during the labour dispute. The new agreement preserves housekeeping jobs and restores daily room cleaning which will help ensure safer workloads and improve guest experience. Other achievements include wage increases plus a special bonus, protection of union health and pension benefits, new protection for gratuities, and stronger recall protections for the future. The new collective agreement expires on May 31, 2025.

Liza Secretaria, a night auditor and union bargaining committee member from Hilton Metrotown: “I feel so proud of myself and my co-workers. We went through so much together during the lockout and the pandemic, but we’re stronger than ever now that we have fought for our co-workers to return and won a fair contract. Thank you to everyone who supported us. I am very excited to return to my job and serve guests again. We have shown Hilton Metrotown and other hotels in B.C. that hotel workers will stand up for respect and justice to raise standards in the industry.”

Sergio Moyer, Guest Services Lead and union bargaining committee member from Hilton Metrotown: “I’m so proud of the solidarity of our members, the community, and the labour movement for their support and strength in achieving this win. We’re ready to return to the Hilton Metrotown to do what we do best: serving our guests. Today marks a monumental day for our union as we’ve been fighting on the picket line for 391 days straight. We are overjoyed with the response to the ratification and results.”

Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40: “Hilton Metrotown workers stayed united on the picket line for over a year, truly exemplifying the meaning of solidarity. This was a hard-fought victory and the new contract sets us on a positive path with the hotel. Workers mobilized massive community support to boycott the hotel and sent a strong message to the hospitality industry that no worker should be treated like they’re disposable.”

Across B.C., workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 40 have won the right to return to their pre-pandemic jobs. With a settlement secured at Hilton Metrotown, the Pacific Gateway Hotel remains an outlier. Local 40 will hold a rally to mark the one-year long strike at Pacific Gateway Hotel on May 12, 2022. Pacific Gateway terminated 70% of its workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic and demanded drastic rollbacks similar to what workers fought back at Hilton Metrotown.

Contact: Stephanie Fung, 604-928-7356, [email protected]

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UNITE HERE Local 40 is the hospitality workers’ union and represents members in the hotel, food service and airport industries throughout British Columbia. Learn more at uniteherelocal40.org.

Statement from Enrique Fernández, UNITE HERE Vice President of Immigration, Diversity, and Civil Rights on President Biden’s Announcement to end Title 42

April 8, 2022 4:43 pm Published by Leave a comment

“We applaud President Biden’s plan to end Title 42.  It is necessary. This Trump-era policy has caused direct harm and abuse to asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border. All asylum seekers deserve to be treated with dignity, humanity, and respect. To that end, we look with urgency towards May 23, 2022, when the Department of Homeland Security has announced an end to the program.”

—Enrique Fernández, UNITE HERE Vice President of Immigration, Diversity, and Civil Rights