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Archive for category: Newsletter

Local 11 Endorses Nithya Raman for Mayor of Los Angeles

Brenda Mendoza, Laundry attendant at the JW Marriott L.A Live, member of UNITE HERE Local 11 said, “For 16 years, I have worked at the JW Marriott in Downtown Los Angeles, but I can no longer afford to live in the city where I was born, raised, and work. I was priced out of Koreatown and now live hours away in Apple Valley. I wake up at 2:30 in the morning, spend as much as four hours a day driving my family and myself to work, and sometimes get only three hours of sleep. I’ve watched more and more of my coworkers get pushed out of Los Angeles to Victorville, Lancaster, Bakersfield, and even farther away. Working people should be able to afford to live in the city we keep running every day. Nithya Raman has stood with workers like me on our picket lines, and I believe she will fight for us as mayor. I’m ready to fight for her, too, and help get Los Angeles out to vote. ¡Vamos con Nithya!”

Read the press release here

Lawsuit Filed Against Long Beach Yacht Club for Alleged Pregnancy-Based Harassment and Retaliation

A worker filed a lawsuit against the Long Beach Yacht Club alleging that she endured sex-based harassment and retaliation while working at the private club. The lawsuit follows a complaint the worker filed with the California Civil Rights Department in April, in which she alleged that the Yacht Club failed to correct the retaliation and harassment she allegedly endured during her two pregnancies between 2023 and 2025.

According to the lawsuit, the Yacht Club’s executive chef insulted the worker’s work ethic when she requested shorter shifts because of her pregnancy and questioned whether such accommodations were necessary. The executive chef allegedly mocked her in front of kitchen staff after she extended her maternity leave in 2024 because she was struggling with post-partum depression. The complaint also alleges that the executive chef timed her restroom breaks when she was pregnant and scolded her if he thought she took too long. He allegedly scolded her so often that at times she urinated herself instead of using the restroom just to avoid discipline.

Read the full press release here.

WINNING AT THE SANDBOURNE SANTA MONICA

Cooks and  servers at the Sandbourne Santa Monica finally got a union contract that will give them healthcare, pension and a $10 raise effective immediately. The housekeepers at the hotel got their first union contract in 2019. In that first contract they won partial growth that added the bell department, front desk, engineering and banquets. In their 2023 contract they added the restaurant and F & B departments. Now these workers finally got their contract.  When we fight, we win!

Standing in solidarity with Local 1

After months of back to back negotiations without a settlement, workers at 46 Chicago hotels are ready to take action.

When their contracts expire on August 31 these workers are ready tp fight for a fair contract that wiill include higher wages that reflect the value of our work, and the ability to support ourselves and our families.

We stand in solidarity with our union sisters and brothers in Chicago. One union. One fight. Together, we win!

The Compass United Lounges in LAX ratify their first union contract

After fighting for nine years—a fight first started by LA Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez when he was a union organizer—the Compass-United Lounges at LAX finally ratified their first union contract. Workers won raises, healthcare, pension, and the legal fund. Workers will be making between $29 and $33 an hour depending on whether they register for healthcare. This new contract will cover over 130 workers.

ASU Workers File First Amendment Lawsuit Against Arizona State University

As students return to campus for a new school year, food service workers employed by Aramark at Arizona State University held a ‘Welcome Back’ picket at ASU’s Tempe campus. The picket come just a week after Local 11 filed a federal lawsuit against Arizona State University, the Arizona Board of Regents, and ASU President Michael Crow, alleging that university officials systematically violated their First Amendment rights by restricting workers’ ability to protest on and near ASU’s campus. 

 

VICTORY AT DIGNITY HEALTH SPORTS PARK

Workers at Dignity Health Sports Park ratified a new union contract with great benefits. 98% voted YES for the contract that secured wages close to or at $30 per hour and allowed workers to combine their health benefit hours across the entire event center.

Grand Opening of the UNITE HERE Local 11 Health and Dental Center

UNITE HERE Local 11—in Partnership with MLK Community Healthcare—opened a 15,000 square foot State of the Art Medical and Dental Center for Hospitality Workers. This clinic sets a national standard for hospitality worker care—and it is all because of our commitment to fighting and growing our union throughout the region.

Union members , employers, and union leadership where joined by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez who celebrated the opening of this one-of-a-kind dental and medical center. And plenty of members of the press were at hand to report on this monumental achievement. Sí se pudo!

KNX NEWS: Unionized workers at Jonathan Club in DTLA vote to authorize strike

“This is a club that has the wealthiest people in Los Angeles who are its members. They can afford to pay this,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. “Many of those members are not only in this club, but they have second and third homes and you know, when our members can’t afford one home, that’s just not acceptable.”

FOX 11: Disneyland hotel workers protest during D23 weekend: ‘No Magic in Our Paychecks’

Hundreds of Disneyland Resort hotel workers rallied near Harbor Boulevard and Convention Way during D23 weekend.

Union representatives with UNITE HERE Local 11 state that contract negotiations with Disney have yielded little progress after months of talks.

Those protesting included cast members, including cooks, dishwashers, and room attendants.