PRESS INQUIRIES

For Press Inquiries:
Maria Hernandez, Communications
(623) 340-8047 (mobile)
[email protected]

For Arizona Press Inquiries:
Rachele Smith, Communications
(623) 670-9889 (mobile)
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Some of the following press releases have been shortened and edited to avoid redundancy.

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UNITE HERE Local 11 and Worker Power Knock on 1.6 Million Doors for Midterms in 2nd and 5th Largest Cities in U.S. 

Over 600 cooks, dishwashers, housekeepers and  food service workers fight to elect pro-worker candidates across Arizona and Southern California

AZ and CA: As the 2022 midterm elections come to a close, the hospitality workers union UNITE HERE Local 11 in coalition with Worker Power, which focuses on young voters, people of color and swing voters, celebrate their work in Arizona, Los Angeles and Orange County to elect leaders who will fight for working families up and down the ballot.

Starting as early as May, a total of over 600 canvassers with UNITE HERE Local 11 and Worker Power knocked on a total of 1.6 million doors, and had 250,000 conversations with voters between the two states. They knocked on 1 million of those doors after the primary elections.

These are the same hospitality workers who, in 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic, turned Arizona blue for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris by knocking on 800,000 doors, and then went to Georgia for the special Senate election to secure seats for Senators Warnock and Ossoff.

In Arizona, Worker Power and UNITE HERE Local 11 knocked on 750,000 doors and contacted 120,000 voters with 400 canvassers by election day on the ground across Maricopa county, advocating for candidates U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, Katie Hobbs, Adrian Fontes, state legislators Christine Marsh and Judy Schwiebert, Kellen Wilson for Phoenix City Council District 6, and Carlos Garcia for Phoenix City Council District 8.

Phoenix, AZ: “Our canvassers have been hard at it since the late summer, hitting almost half a million doors since Labor Day alone,” said UNITE HERE Local 11 Co-President Susan Minato. “Our members have canvassed cycle after cycle for the last 15 years in Arizona because they know that it’s door-by-door that things are going to change. In addition to canvassing for Senator Mark Kelly, who we successfully got elected in 2020, and Secretary of State/gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, this year we have proudly run one of our own members for Phoenix City Council – Kellen Wilson. Kellen would join our member Betty Guardado who we got elected to Phoenix City Council in 2019. Bellmen, bartenders, cooks, and housekeepers have led the charge for political change in Arizona, and they won’t stop now.”

In Los Angeles, UNITE HERE Local 11 knocked on a total of 770,000 doors contacted over 100,000 voters with over 100 canvassers to elect Karen Bass for Mayor, Hugo Soto-Martinez for Los Angeles City Council District 13, Erin Darling for Los Angeles City Council District 11, and Lindsey Horvath for Los Angeles County Supervisor.

Los Angeles, CA: “I am proud of Hugo, who is one of our own,” said Local 11 Executive Vice President Martha Santamaria. “He comes from humble beginnings and worked to organize his own hotel. He knows what it is to be a working person, and he will be an excellent voice for working families on Los Angeles’ City Council.”

“The hospitality industry is the backbone of Los Angeles’ economy – when the industry goes up, the workers’ livelihoods should go up, and the city’s economy goes up by extension,” said Co-President Kurt Petersen. “Local 11 members put on their masks and their sneakers this summer to gather over 110,000 signatures for a housekeeper ordinance that was passed into law this July at the same time as we campaigned for one of our own to get onto LA City Council.”

In Orange County, Worker Power and UNITE HERE Local 11 knocked on 80,000 doors across Anaheim and contacted over 14,000 voters with 50 cooks, housekeepers, dishwashers and servers on the ground. Our members in Orange County walked for Anaheim Mayor candidate Ashley Aitken, and council candidates Al Jabbar, Carlos Leon, and Orange County Board of Supervisor candidates Sunny Park and Vicente Sarmiento.

Anaheim, CA: “The citizens of Anaheim are sick of corruption in city politics, and we heard that over and over again as we knocked on their doors,” said Campaign Director Austin Lynch, Worker Power and UNITE HERE Local 11. “People are ready for politicians who will fight for them, like Ashley Aitken, Al Jabbar and Carlos Leon.”

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UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.
Worker Power is a multi-racial, multi-generational organization that uses union organizing tactics and community-driven electoral campaigns to fight for economic, social, and immigrant justice

STRIKE ALERT: Pomona College Dining Hall Workers Walk Out on Strike During Family Weekend

Workers Demand that Prestigious College Pay a Living Wage

Pomona, CA: Following stagnant negotiations with Pomona College, at 6 am this morning, dozens of dining hall workers at Pomona College walked out on strike as Family Weekend begins.

The workers’ primary contract demand is a significant raise to keep pace with the soaring cost of living. The MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates that a living wage for a family of four with two working adults in Los Angeles County is $30.73 an hour.  Some dining hall employees, the overwhelmingly majority of whom are people of color, earn $18.00 an hour.

“ I am on strike because I deserve to provide for my family, the same way I care for Pomona’s wonderful  students. As a skilled worker at Pomona College, my profession contributes to the health and wellness of the students and the college’s overall success.” said Marie O’Campo, baker of 8 years at Pomona College.

Pomona College has been ranked consistently among the country’s most prestigious colleges and universities. Dining hall workers at similar prestigious universities such as Yale University and Wesleyan College earn more than $30.00 an hour.

Pomona College’s $3 billion endowment is the 7th highest among all U.S. universities and colleges – ahead of Yale and Wesleyan – on a per student basis. Earlier this fall, Pomona opened a $57 million new athletic facility.

“I am striking because I want more for myself and for my family. There are employees that have been working here for 30 years or more and they deserve more. I hope to one day be able to make enough to buy a house,” said Hector Melendrez, who earns $18.00 an hour as a utility worker.

“Pomona College has failed to meet the workers’ demands. They have chosen to take a brave step, and we hope the college will finally listen to their concerns and give them the living wage they deserve,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11

Dodger Stadium Workers Vote 98% To Ratify Historic Union Contract During MLB Playoffs

Los Angeles — Stand workers hit it out of the park, win over $13 in raises and guaranteed tips Los Angeles: As the Los Angeles Dodgers begin game two of the MLB division playoffs, concession stadium workers who staff the food and beverage  stands at Dodger Stadium voted 98% in favor of ratifying a historic union contract with the concessions giants at the stadium: Compass Group and Levy Restaurants.

Dodger stadium concessions workers voted to strike if needed ahead of this year’s MLB All-Star Game. Following positive negotiations since then, Compass/Levy workers at Dodger Stadium are proud to announce that over 75% of workers will earn more than 30 dollars an hour by the end of their new contract. Some employees—including stand workers, dishwashers, and cooks—will see increases of more than $13 an hour. Workers also won additional pay in recognition of service during COVID-19 and increased funding for their pensions and healthcare.

“This is a historic day for Dodger Stadium workers. As the team goes on to play for the top prize in baseball, the workers who serve the food and pour the drinks have also won. These workers will now earn wages where they can support a family,” said Susan Minato, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11

“With these new raises, I will finally be able to afford an apartment of my own, instead of sharing a room. This contract will change my life,” said Cheryl Angustain, who has worked four seasons in concessions for Compass/Levy at Dodger Stadium.

“My family and I bleed blue. We are proud to work at Dodger Stadium to give the fans the experience they have come to expect. This new contract makes us feel like champions!,” said Sylvia Sosa, a bartender for Compass/Levy who has worked 46 seasons at Dodger Stadium. Compass Group is the sixth-largest company in the world. Its subsidiary, Levy Restaurants, employs nearly 1,500 food servers, bartenders, suite attendants, cooks and dishwashers at Dodger Stadium.

UNITE HERE Local 11 Endorses Christy Smith for Congress

Smith pledges to fight for hospitality workers and to hold large corporations accountable for abuse of the Paycheck Protection Program

Panorama City, Calif.—UNITE HERE Local 11 is proud to endorse Christy Smith for California’s 27th Congressional District in a competitive, must-win race for Democrats. In the California State Assembly, Smith has authored bills focusing on education reform, homeowner protections and college affordability.

Smith is a pro-choice champion that will focus on protecting reproductive rights, tackling climate change and creating an equitable economy that works for everyone. Her opponent, Trump Republican Mike Garcia, voted against the certification of electoral votes in Pennsylvania and Arizona that helped cement Joe Biden’s presidential victory, opposed the impeachment of President Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, stood against legalizing Dreamers and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and cosponsored legislation that would effectively ban all abortion and some forms of birth control.

Garcia is the wrong candidate for hospitality workers and the wrong candidate for Northern Los Angeles County. In May 2020, Garcia helped block the bipartisan TRUTH Act, which would have ensured greater transparency regarding how Paycheck Protection Program funds are allocated and made sure funds get to the small businesses for which they are intended. Over two years later, although National Bureau of Economic Research analysis found that only 23% to 34% of the $800 billion in PPP funds went to workers who would have otherwise lost their jobs, taxpayers are still waiting for the Small Business Administration to disclose how borrowers claim to have spent their loans in loan forgiveness applications.

The Chair of the Biden Administration’s Pandemic Response Accountability Committee said it wouldn’t surprise him if there was over $100 billion in fraudulent pandemic aid and the head of the SBA’s Office of Inspector General said billions in pandemic fraud will take 100 years of work to investigate.

Garcia campaign donor and fellow Trump supporter Paul Reed is Chairman of hotel and golf course firm JC Resorts, a company that should be a high priority for investigation. The Los Serranos Golf Club operated by JC Resorts received $1.5 million in PPP loans, but JC Resorts appears to be over the threshold for PPP eligibility; one business analytics company estimates JC Resorts’ total number of employees to be 1200 and its annual sales to be $70.5 million.

We can’t count on Mike Garcia to investigate whether wealthy hospitality firms like JC Resorts improperly took PPP loans meant for real small businesses or to push for greater transparency and oversight of trillions in Covid relief.

Christy Smith will help taxpayers and workers get to the bottom of PPP fraud, and has what it takes to beat Mike Garcia.

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Labor for Bass: LA’s Largest Latino Labor Unions UNITE HERE Local 11 and SEIU-USWW Announce Endorsement of Karen Bass for Mayor

Los Angeles: Today, dozens of hospitality and service workers from UNITE HERE Local 11 and SEIU-USWW, two of Los Angeles’s largest private sector unions representing tens of thousands of latino workers, announced they are endorsing Karen Bass for Mayor of Los Angeles.

Holding the tools of the jobs they do every day to keep Los Angeles running, hotel housekeepers, airport food service workers, cooks, dishwashers and janitorial staff came together at Placita Olvera, a historic gathering place for working class latinos proudly dawning their union colors and chanting “Si se puede!” as they announced their endorsement.

Housekeepers and Janitors have been a political force for decades in California promising hundreds of volunteers to contact voters and “Get out the Vote.”  In 2020, Unite Here Local 11 and SEIU- USWW led the effort to turn out the Latino vote in Arizona which was critical in flipping the state for Biden. They then went on to Georgia to play a key role in the runoff election that put Senator Warnock in office and won the Democrats a majority in the Senate.

“As a leader in my union, I have talked to hundreds of latino voters across Los Angeles and learned they care about the same issues I do. We are worried about things like housing, having to deal with rising rents, and homes being converted to short term rentals.” said Liliana Hernandez, member of UNITE HERE Local 11 and housekeeper of 16 years in Los Angeles. “ I know that Karen Bass is the kind of leader latino working people like me need at City Hall.”

“For decades, I have worked as a server at LAX, serving the millions of travelers that come to our wonderful city every year. I know how big of a role the city and the Mayor can play in making sure that LAX is a thriving place for thousands of latino workers and their families.” said Marlene Mendoza, Vice President of UNITE HERE Local 11. “I was a part of a meeting with Karen Bass, and in talking to her I believe she will support working people from LAX and ensure we take part in our city’s economic recovery from the pandemic.”

“From LAX, to Sofi Stadium, Beverly Hills to Downtown Los Angeles, our members make the beds, serve the food, pour the drinks, and wash the dishes for the millions of tourists that visit Los Angeles  every year.” said Kurt Petersen, Co-President UNITE HERE Local 11. “When it comes to elections our members are  proud to be the leading boots on the ground in ensuring our democracy works for everyone, not just the privileged few.”

Alejandra Valles Treasurer of  SEIU-USWW  mentioned “SEIU USWW was founded in the streets of Los Angeles, when striking janitors demanded justice. We have lead the charge to end the heinous practice of wage theft and the corrosive nature of sexual assault and harrasment in the workplace. We have led the way to improve conditions for Black workers in the security industry, and demanded an end to environmental racism at LAX. The next mayor of Los Angeles must represent the diversity that makes our city so special.

Thepower of our members and our ability to mobilize Black and Brown workers has demonstrated, time and time again, that we can get the right candidates elected into office.

“Participating as a political volunteer for 10 years gave me the opportunity to find my own voice and feel the collective power of Latino voters standing up on critical issues like healthcare,  wages, sexual violence in the work place, immigration and housing,,”  said Martha Mejia USWW Janitor.

“We fought for months to ensure community and worker voices were heard when it came to the expansion of LAX and we won, but more needs to be done, commented Jovan Houston Airport service worker , “I know Karen Bass will ensure the airport holds to their promises so that our communities can thrive and be healthy.”

Both unions are representative of the growing voting strength of immigrant Angelinos who are building power at the ballot box to fight for issues like affordable housing, better jobs, healthcare, education and the environment. These proud union members have collectively mobilized hundreds of thousands of voters to go out and vote and elect leaders that will fight alongside them.

Karen Bass is the only candidate who will put the needs and interests of working families ahead of wealthy corporations and LA’s elite. She has the experience and track record to advocate for Los Angeles essential workers, a majority of whom are latino and people of color, at City Hall.

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UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.

SEIU United Service Workers West represents more than 45,000 janitors, security officers, airport service workers, and other property service workers across California.

California Labor Commissioner Delivers Checks to Terranea Resort Workers Whose Rights to Return to Work Were Violated

California Labor Commissioner Delivers Checks to Terranea Resort Workers Whose Rights to Return to Work Were Violated

Los Angeles, CA-  The Labor Commissioner’s Office has begun distributing more than $1.5 million to 57 workers laid off at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes during the COVID-19 pandemic who were not offered job positions promptly as required by the Right to Recall Law.

The distribution of checks to workers began during an in-person press conference led by Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower.  The Labor Commissioner’s Office cited Terranea alleging violations of the recall law in March and subsequently reached a settlement with the resort, resulting in the payments for workers.  More information regarding the citation is available here.

Virginia Eredia, who was laid off by the Terranea after working nearly six years as a turndown attendant.  Eredia said: “After losing my job, I lost my house, my car, and had to go into a lot of debt. This money will help ease some of that and will help me buy a car to get to work. I would have never received this had I not chosen to stand up for my rights. I hope other hotel workers see this and know what is possible.”

Terranea workers were at the forefront of the campaign to enact SB-93. The resort had terminated most of its employees without making a binding commitment to rehire them and cut off their healthcare at the beginning of the pandemic.

Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, the hospitality workers’ union that fought for the law and helped the workers file complaints, said: “When the Terranea Resort exploited the pandemic to fire most of their workers, the hotel caused incalculable chaos and harm on those workers and their families. Rather than walking away, these brave workers decided to fight to return to their jobs.  And today we celebrate their victory and courage.  We also want to thank the Labor Commissioner and her staff for their extraordinary effort to return these workers back to work.”

The distribution of checks resolves the first case brought under California’s recently-enacted Right to Recall Law.  Signed into law last year, SB-93 requires hotels, event centers, and other hospitality businesses to offer employees whom they laid off due the COVID-19 downturn in tourism an opportunity to return to work in open positions for which they are qualified in order of seniority. The statute provides job protections to some 700,000 housekeepers, cooks, waiters, and other laid off workers.

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UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports

Environmental Groups and UNITE HERE Local 11 Call Out Terranea “Eco-Resort” Owners Lowe & JC Resorts for Execs’ Funding of Climate Change Deniers

As Congressional climate agenda stalls, environmental activists and UNITE HERE Local 11 press resort owners whose leaders fund anti-environment politicians

Los Angeles: This week a coalition of environmental organizations and allies called out Terranea Resort owners JC Resorts and Lowe for throwing millions at anti-environment politicians and other conservative causes.

The Terranea, a sprawling property along an environmentally sensitive stretch of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, bills itself as a “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” resort.

Yet an open letter to the resort signed by leading environmental groups highlights that since 2012 executives of Terranea’s owners Lowe and JC Resorts have collectively contributed over $2 million to anti-environment Republicans like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump and conservative causes like the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity PAC.

Nico Gardner Serna with Sunrise Movement Los Angeles, a signatory to the letter, said: “As an environmental activist/leader with the Sunrise Movement Los Angeles who was raised in and currently lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, I am deeply concerned about Terranea’s ownership executives making political contributions that stand in the way of our fight against global climate change. Political contributions are moral statements. I would like to see them stop giving money to climate change-denying politicians like Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, and Lindsey Graham, and instead commit to protecting the land, air, water, and animals in this region.”

In addition to the Sunrise Movement Los Angeles, the open letter is signed by Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, Communities for a Better Environment, CA Environmental Voters (League of Conservation Voters), Physicians for Social Responsibility, LAANE, Labor Network for Sustainability, and the hospitality workers’ union UNITE HERE Local 11.  Examples of political donations highlighted in the letter, which can be accessed here, include the following:

  • House Minority Leader Republican Kevin McCarthy was the largest recipient of Lowe executives’ largesse, receiving $189,800 since 2012. McCarthy received a 3% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters and has opposed the Biden Administration’s efforts to move the country away from fossil fuels.
  • Robert J. Lowe Sr. contributed $50,000 to the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity Action (AFPA) from October 9, 2020 through October 1, 2021.  According to the Center for Media and Democracy, “AFP’s messages are in sync with those of other groups funded by Charles Koch—opposing labor unions, health care reform, stimulus spending, and any effort to combat climate change.”
  • Contributions from JC Resorts Chairman Paul Reed included $16,600 to Donald Trump. The New York Times has reported that “the damage done by the greenhouse gas pollution unleashed by President Trump’s rollbacks may prove to be one of the most profound legacies of his single term.”

“As a union, we are committed to ensuring that workers across the hospitality industry work in environments where they and their surrounding communities are treated with dignity and respect. That extends to the natural environment, animals, and habitat.  It is outrageous that executives of the owners of Terranea, a resort billed as environmentally friendly, would be funding the politicians responsible for blocking reform to stop catastrophic climate change,” said Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11.

The signatory organizations are calling on “Terranea’s owners Lowe and JC Resorts to immediately stop their leaders from making donations to Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy and Republicans like them who are standing in the way of our fight against global climate change.”

Update on Compass/Levy Labor Dispute at Dodger Stadium