As Workers Rise Up During “Striketober,” Hospitality Workers in 29 Cities Will March, Picket, Vote to Unionize, and More in Fight for Good Jobs
After extraordinary pandemic hardships, 8,000 hospitality workers across U.S. and Canada say it’s time to “Come Back Stronger” with variety of events on October 28.
WHO: Approx. 8,000 UNITE HERE Hospitality Union workers across the U.S. and Canada.
WHAT: A variety of events including marches, pickets, rallies, a unionization vote, and a strike authorization vote, as well as internal events such as meetings with management.
WHERE: 29 cities across the U.S. and Canada
WHEN: Thursday, October 28, 2021
VISUALS: In cities with marches, pickets, or rallies, crowds of housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, and concessions workers will carry bold black and red banners or signs, or wear t-shirts reading, “Come Back Stronger.” Email to learn more about visuals in your city.
WHY: Workers’ renewed militancy has made headlines during so-called “Striketober,” and hospitality workers are fighting for a recovery with good jobs under the banner “Come Back Stronger.” Workers in 29 cities across the U.S. and Canada will hold a variety of events on October 28 – including marches, pickets, rallies, a unionization vote, and a strike authorization vote, as well as internal events such as meetings with management.
Hotel, casino, and food service workers say their jobs haven’t come back even as business rebounds because employers are taking advantage of the pandemic to increase workloads, introduce automation, and cut jobs. Meanwhile, workers at HelloFresh – the meal kit delivery company that exploded during COVID – will begin voting on forming the booming meal kit industry’s first-ever union. Together, we are pushing as a union for a recovery where no one gets left behind.
Note: Interviews with UNITE HERE members and the Union’s leadership are available immediately, as well as opportunities to join actions in different cities on October 28. Contact: Ted Waechter, [email protected] or MJ Leira [email protected].
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UNITE HERE is the hospitality workers’ union in the U.S. and Canada, representing over 300,000 workers in hotels, gaming, restaurants and food service, airports, and more. Ninety-eight percent of its members were laid off at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and sixty percent remain out of work today.