A labor union with the name UNITE HERE appears to be united. But its history shows it comes from diverse unions and industries. UNITE was formerly known as the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees. HERE was formerly known as the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. The two unions merged in 2004. Their history goes back to the late 1800s. Here are some key dates and events that made the way for their merger:
- The Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union was formed in 1891.
- In 1900, workers making women's clothes formed the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). This was followed in 1909, when a successful strike of 20,000 garment workers, mostly teenage girls, in New York City launched the ILGWU as a major force in organized labor.
- In 1914, men's clothing workers formed the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA).
- In 1939, Southern textile workers founded the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA).
- In 1958, 100,000 striking ILGWU members in eight states won the required use of the union label. In 1963, the TWUA begins organizing at JP Stevens.
- ACWA and TWUA merge and create the Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union in 1976 (ACTWU).
- In 1980, after 17 years, 4,000 workers at JP Stevens won a contract. It was depicted in the Oscar winning film "Norma Rae."
- HERE organizes Yale University's support staff in 1984.
- In 1995, UNITE is formed out of the ILGWU and ACTWU.
- The Frontier strike in Las Vegas, one of the longest successful strikes in U.S. union history (lasting six and a half years) was settled in 1998. The union says that no one crossed the picket line and all strikers got their jobs back with seniority and back pension service credits.
- HERE organized the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride in 2003, which mobilized tens of thousands of immigrant workers and their supporters to educate Americans about the contributions and struggles of immigrant workers in the United States.
- Between 2003 and 2008, the two unions have organized more than 100,000 new members.
- UNITE HERE was one of several major unions which broke away from the AFL-CIO in 2005, and formed the Change to Win coalition.
UNITE HERE Membership
As of early 2008, UNITE HERE represented more than 450,000 members and more than 400,000 retirees throughout North America. UNITE HERE had a diverse membership in 2008, comprised largely of immigrants and high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers. The majority of UNITE HERE members are women. Organizing is a top priority for UNITE. More than 40 percent of UNITE's national budget goes toward organizing.
UNITE HERE represents workers in the following major sectors: apparel and textile manufacturing, apparel distribution centers, and retail apparel; industrial laundries; hotels; casinos; food service; airport concessions; and restaurants.
UNITE HERE Leadership
Bruce Raynor has been president of UNITE since 2001. John Wilhelm has been president of HERE since 1998. Raynor began his union career with the former Textile Workers Union of America in 1973, where he worked on numerous southern organizing drives, including the J.P. Stevens organizing campaign in the late 1970s. He went on to organize tens of thousands of workers in the South, serving as Southern Director for nearly 20 years and leaving is as the largest affiliate of the former UNITE. He was elected executive vice president of ACTWU in 1993 and elected executive vice president of UNITE at its founding convention in 1995. Raynor was elected secretary treasurer of UNITE in 1999, as president in 2001 and was elected general president of UNITE HERE at the union's founding convention in July 2004.
In the early 1980's, Wilhelm led the organization by HERE of 2,650 clerical and technical employees at Yale University. From 1987 to 1998, he led HERE's rebuilding in Las Vegas. After Wilhelm was elected president, HERE became the first union in the modern era to be released from government supervision, when the U.S. Justice Department and a federal judge entered a final order of dismissal in the union's federal consent decree. During his presidency, HERE furthered its reputation as a union committed to organizing workers. It grew in membership after more than 25 years of membership decline. The union also diversified its national leadership, with women and minorities elected to key positions.
Criticism of UNITE HERE
The Center for Union Facts says that HERE has had an extensive history of corruption and involvement with organized crime. In 1995, the federal government filed a racketeering lawsuit and installed a federal monitor to oversee HERE’s international office.
