Author Archives for Ann Kammerer
Nearly 100 housekeeping and cage workers at the Magic City Casino in Miami won union recognition this month after a yearlong fight. Magic City, located in the heart of Miami’s Cuban community, joins three other pari-mutuels represented by Local 355. Clergy and community members joined the fight to support the mostly Cuban workforce. Magic City is owned and operated by the Havenick family, prominent business and landowners in the Miami area.
"I feel so proud of our victory," said committee leader Joel Pazo, "it was a hard struggle, but we never lost hope, and we never gave up. Now we are a light for all workers in Miami to see that Victory is possible. Si se puede!" Local 355 looks forward to beginning negotiations and hopes to reach a contract agreement soon.
The Resorts World Casino in southeastern Queens, New York takes in the most money of any slots parlor in the entire United States. But in the two years it has been open, the average wage has been barely more than $10 an hour.
Workers with the New York Hotel Trades Council announced that they had reached agreement on a five-year contract that nearly doubles wages immediately and will almost triple wages by 2016, while also providing free family health care.
The casino opened two years ago under a labor peace agreement, but contract negotiations stalled a year ago. The union called for an arbitrator, who finally ruled for the historic wage standards because the business was so successful and because that was the wage a full-time worker would need to sustain her family.
The New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Vincent Alvarez said of the agreement:
"I applaud President Peter Ward and the New York Hotel Trades Council for this historic five-year agreement to help drastically increase wages, benefits, and training for thousands of New York City residents…. This is an absolute victory, and a testament to the Labor Movement’s ability to fight to ensure that all working families have the wages, protections and tools necessary to grow and thrive in New York City."
On November 5, voters will decide on a measure that would allow seven new casinos across New York State. Already, labor peace deals exist with five companies that could bid for casino licenses.
For more information, check out the news clips below:
Union and hotel set to open negotiations for first contract
LOS ANGELES – Employees at the Holiday Inn LAX will get their chance to negotiate a first union contract, nearly one year after calling for the right to a fair process to organize. After a change in ownership two weeks ago, the hotel will become the latest property in the Century Boulevard Corridor near LAX where workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 11.
The new owner of the 405-room hotel, CIM Group, is a leading real estate and infrastructure investment firm.
"I was with the Holiday Inn workers when they first told management they wanted a voice on the job," said Councilmember Mike Bonin, who’s 11th District includes Century Boulevard. "I’ve seen firsthand their drive and determination to make this happen, and I’m proud that the hotel owners have responded by treating the workers with respect."
Community activists, politicians and members of the clergy have supported the more than 100 housekeepers, engineers, servers and bartenders throughout their bid to be represented by UNITE HERE at the bargaining table.
The workers and the community have ended their boycott of the property.
“This is a dream come true,” said Susana Garcia, a phone operator at the Holiday Inn LAX. “We’ve worked so hard to get here. This shows me that the hotel owner really cares about us and our ability to provide excellent service to the guests.”
UNITE HERE is eager to open negotiations with the new owner and hope to reach an agreement soon.
On Valentine’s Day, the Illinois Senate, with Governor Pat Quinn’s support, approved Senate Bill 11–the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.” However, the bill never passed the Illinois House of Representatives.
Now, Illinois residents and UNITE HERE members are taking action. On October 22, thousands across the state traveled to the state capital to march for marriage equality and demand that lawmakers take action. There were 50 members from Chicago’s UNITE HERE Local 1 who traveled to Springfield to join thousands for the demonstration. Together, we showed our elected leaders that the people of Illinois support the right for all to marry who they love.
For pictures from the day, check out the album on Facebook.
UNITE HERE is committed to full equality for all LGBT people. Our union was the first to ratify a comprehensive statement in support of civil and economic rights for LGBT people, and we contributed significant funds and organizing resources to defeating Proposition 8 in California. In both the United States and Canada, members of our union have worked to build a powerful coalition between the LGBT and labor communities in our quest for fair and equal treatment of all individuals. In the last decade, UNITE HERE launched Sleep With The Right People in partnership with renowned LGBT rights activist Cleve Jones. This collaborative effort between UNITE HERE and the LGBT community works to use our joint power as consumers to ensure that hotels respect their workers.
To learn more, visit www.SleepWithTheRightPeople.org.
With the government shutdown now behind us, labor and community activists seek to capitalize on the current political moment and push through commonsense immigration policy reform. President Obama has signaled that immigration reform is at the top of his political agenda following the shutdown. It is up to us to make sure working families have their voices heard in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.
From Congress to communities across the country, workers are continuing to fight to secure a road map to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans. Here are just a few of last week’s campaign developments:
- Over the weekend labor, immigrant rights and community groups in the Kern Coalition for Citizenship staged an action at the Bakersfield, Calif., office of Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House majority whip. Activists made the point that “the time is now” for immigration reform by delivering a number of loud, red alarm clocks to McCarthy in a press conference in front of his office.
- This week, faith and business leaders are stepping up their calls for the House to pass an immigration policy reform bill. Evangelical Immigration Table released a letter Monday to lawmakers signed by top faith leaders that comes amid a nationwide prayer blitz for reform. Meanwhile, the National Immigration Forum and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Partnership for a New American Economy are bringing together 300 business representatives from more than 50 congressional districts early next week to make the case for reform.
- Currently, 182 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have come out to publicly support H.R. 15, the House version of the Senate immigration bill. With overwhelming public support for a road map to citizenship, we think this number will continue to grow as the debate moves in the House.
- Check out this great blog post from Victor Narro, the project director for the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, where he outlines the AFL-CIO’s historic trajectory on immigration and community organizing leading up to last month’s historic convention.
In this moment, it is vital that we continue our fight for immigration policy reform that respects worker rights and includes a road map to citizenship. Every union, labor council, Working America member and allied organization has an important role to play in this fight. It’s up to us to build a more inclusive movement for years to come. Click here to sign our petition telling Speaker John Boehner we need a vote on citizenship in the House of Representatives.
Thank you for everything you do. We’ll win this fight by running the most open campaign we can. Send us your ideas, stories and questions to [email protected].
In solidarity,
María Elena Durazo, Chair, AFL-CIO Immigration Committee
Tom Snyder, AFL-CIO Immigration Campaign Manager
Ana Avendaño, AFL-CIO Assistant to the President and Director of Immigration and Community Action
Washington, DC – Today hundreds of UNITE HERE members from six states will be among the tens of thousands of people gathering in the nation’s capital to demand the House Republican leadership pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. Additionally, dozens of UNITE HERE members will be preparing to take arrest as part of a broader civil disobedience action that will be the climax of the event. UNITE HERE is the largest contingent participating in the arrest action, representing 25% of the arrestees.
The event today is the culmination of actions in more than 160 cities in support of immigration reform that were held on Saturday, Oct. 5. Thousands of activists will be in DC tomorrow, including union members, celebrities and elected leaders, all demanding comprehensive immigration reform. Attendees include Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) who will be joined by 30 members of Congress, Randi Weingarten, Julian Bond, D. Taylor and high-ranking faith leaders from diverse religious backgrounds and immigration reform leaders. Performers will include Los Tigres del Norte and Lila Downs.
Want real time updates on today’s activities? Follow #TimeIsNow on Twitter!
On October 5, nearly 200 cities across the United States marked the Day of Dignity and Respect for Immigrants with marches, rallies, and political actions. UNITE HERE came out in full force, joining tens of thousands of immigrant workers, their families, and their allies to remind our local lawmakers that we will not be distracted from our goal of equality for all working people.
UNITE HERE members will bring this same message to Washington, DC on Tuesday, October 8. We are committed to use the power and diversity of our leaders to make the change our nation deserves.
You can read more about UNITE HERE winning dignity and respect for immigrants in the Boston Globe.
Para español, vean abajo
The National Day of Dignity and Respect for Immigrants is October 5. On that day, tens of thousands of people in over 80 cities in the United States will stand up and demand that Congress take action to pass immigration reform with a roadmap to citizenship.
UNITE HERE is joining the AFL-CIO and national and local groups—groups of working people, immigrants, faith groups, and people of color—to stop the abuse of working people, end poverty wages, and protect the integrity of our families.
Working together, our children can live an American Dream that honors hard work, respects immigrants, and empowers all families to build lives of dignity without fear.
Click here for more information on the Day of Dignity and Respect in your city.
Marcha por los inmigrantes el 5 de octubre
El 5 de octubre es el Día Nacional de Dignidad y Respeto para los inmigrantes. Ese día, miles de personas en más de 80 ciudades de los Estados Unidos demostrarán para exigir que el Congreso actúe para pasar la reforma migratoria con un camino a la ciudadanía.
UNITE HERE se está uniendo al AFL-CIO y grupos nacionales y locales–grupos de trabajadores, inmigrantes, grupos religiosos y personas de color–para eliminar el abuso de trabajadores, acabar con salarios de pobreza y proteger la integridad de nuestras familias.
Trabajando unidos, nuestros hijos pueden vivir un Sueño Americano que honra duro trabajo, respeta a los inmigrantes y capacita a todas las familias para crear vidas con dignidad sin miedo.
Haga clic aquí para más información acerca del Día de Dignidad y Respeto en su ciudad.
Workers overwhelming approve agreement providing raises, affordable health care
Indianapolis, Ind. — Workers employed by Aramark at Butler and Marian Universities have ratified their first union contract, overwhelmingly approving the agreement 115-1. Campus and food service workers at both universities were recognized as a union within the last year.
The contract comes after over eight months of negotiations with Aramark. The agreement provides for significant raises each year of the contract, a 401k with a company match, and lowers the cost of health insurance for employees every year over the life of the contract.
Tanya Grey is a 22-year food service worker at Butler University. She was part of the negotiating committee who urged her fellow workers to vote yes on this contract.
"I am proud of the agreement we have come to. My biggest issue has always been health insurance. With this contract our insurance will be a lot more affordable and I will be able to continue to have coverage in the summer even when the students are gone."
Workers at Butler and Marian Universities were both strongly supported by their campus communities in their quest to organize a union and negotiate their first contract. Katie Burns is a senior at Butler University and a longtime student ally of the workers.
"Today is a great day for Aramark food service workers. They can finally exercise the ownership and pride they put into their jobs every day. As a student I am happy that the people who are so much a part of my experience here now have a good contract with affordable health care, raises and retirement benefits."
Nearly 500 food service workers have joined UNITE HERE in Indianapolis in the last three years, despite Indiana becoming a so-called "right-to-work" state. In addition to the workers at Marian and Butler, UNITE HERE represents food service workers at IUPUI and Indianapolis International Airport, where 80 HMS Host workers ratified their first contract at the end of August.
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UNITE HERE is an organization representing hospitality workers in Indianapolis and 250,000 additional workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Workers and community allies are available for comment. To schedule an interview, please contact Carli Stevenson at 603-343-2089 or cstevenson [at] unitehere [dot] org.
Campus food service workers and their student, faculty, and community allies continue to build a movement for real food, real jobs, & thriving communities in Cambridge and Boston!
In just 18 months, 650 dining hall workers at Harvard Law School, Northeastern University, Lesley University, the Episcopal Divinity School, and Simmons College have voted to join UNITE HERE Local 26, Greater Boston’s union of food service and hotel workers. And the family—and the movement—continues to grow, with contract negotiations at Simmons and Lesley ongoing, and thousands of food service workers in the Boston area who are still without a union. The below is a guest post from our friends and colleagues at Local 26.
Every September, a quarter million students from around the world breathe life into Cambridge and Boston, filling over fifty colleges and universities. And every day, thousands of food service workers — mostly women, immigrants and people of color — sustain them and show them love.
“I love my job because I love my students,” says Estella Cosby, a cook at Simmons, and it shows. When winter storm Nemo shut down roads, schools, and businesses in February, Stella walked in the snow for an hour to reach campus. During the citywide lockdown in April, cook Melvin Butler and five co-workers kept the cafeteria running from morning to night. “I’m needed. You all need to eat!” he told astonished students.
For Ren Kenney and hundreds of other students, the love is mutual: “When I first got to Simmons, the cafeteria workers treated me with kindness, like family. They take care of us. So when the workers started organizing, I had their back the way they had mine. That’s what community is about,“ says the rising senior.
Building Momentum in Boston
Today, workers and students from both institutions are taking their stories and organizing experience beyond their campuses, driving new organizing across Greater Boston: “I love talking to workers and visiting them in their homes. It just makes me want to do more,” says Edith “Tiny” Figueroa, a cook at Simmons for 5 years.
Theresa Powers, a rising senior at Lesley, agrees: “Seeing the change at Lesley made me want to work on bringing those changes to food service workers all over Boston. When all workers are receiving fair wages, respect and dignity — that’s going to have a powerful effect on their communities."
Learn more at www.realfoodrealjobs.org.