On Saturday October 4 we marched together with a powerful coalition of orgs, unions, and community groups to protest ICE and the $29.9 billion giveaway they received to tear our country apart. We took to the streets to fight for justice, dignity, and freedom, and to say: NO more ICE in our neighborhoods, NO more raids or fear, and YES to love and the power of the working class.
The Original Pantry Café workers, some of whom have served Angelenos for more than 40 years, will return to their jobs! After a landmark agreement between the new owner Leo Pustilnikov and Local 11, the Pantry will reopen early 2026.
Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11 said, “That the Original Pantry will reopen is not just a union victory — it is a Los Angeles victory. It’s a love story with a storybook ending, arriving at a moment when our city needs it most. The Pantry’s dishwashers, cooks, and servers — with more than 300 years of service between them — never gave up. They are true heroes of Los Angeles. Let’s go eat some pancakes!”
Over the next three years, Los Angeles will become the first city to host the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic & Paralympic Games back-to-back, making it the mega-events capital of the world. We are demanding that these mega-events serve our communities and leave a positive legacy. We are calling on LA28 and corporations to negotiate a New Deal for Our Future—or face the possibility of massive protests and strikes on the opening day of the 2028 Olympics.
On August 12, 2025 UNITE HERE Local 11 and union and community allies took back MacArthur Park following the military-style immigration raid that happened there a few weeks back. The labor movement and its allies are taking back the city and reclaiming it as our own LA is a union town!
Don’t let the airport and hotels CEOs’ deceptive ballot initiative take money out of the pockets of hard-working LA families! If someone approaches you to sign a ballot measure this month, DON’T SIGN. Instead, report their location at defendthewage.la or by calling (909) 326-0042. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!
“Because thats what we have to do, that’s at the heart of this movement, fighting for our community.” David Borg is a Shop Steward at the Tempe Mission palms in Tempe, AZ.
Meet Luis Dominguez, housekeeper at the Doubletree DTLA and proud UNITHERE Local 11 member. In 2023, he and his coworkers went on strike and won a historic new contract, and he’s ready to do it again in 2028 if that’s what it takes!
Alaink works at the Waldorf Astoria. Going on strike for the first time was scary—but absolutely worth it. The raises, protections, and life-changing benefits he and his coworkers won? Unforgettable.
For 16 years, Mercedes has worked as a housekeeper at the Sheraton Grand LA. in 2020, she lost her home in a fire, then when the pandemic shut everything down-she lost her job. Thats why she went on strike with her coworkers, fighting for a better contract. Thanks to the salary increases they secured, Mercedes can now provide more for her daughters and continue rebuilding.
Meet Alice Stanford, a banquet server at the JW Marriott. Alice moved to LA after high school, but the high cost of living left her sleeping in her car. After securing a union job, she was able to afford a two-bedroom apartment and felt a sense of stability—until the LA fires forced her to evacuate in the middle of the night. Although her building stood, smoke damage left her home uninhabitable, and her landlord refused to fix it. Thanks to her union’s hardship fund, Alice found temporary housing and the union’s legal fund is now fighting to hold her landlord accountable. This is the power of standing together