POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS
UNITE HERE Local 11 has been a leader in the fight for immigrant rights, and to elect leaders who will represent working families’ interests. Notably, in 2020, Local 11 ran the largest single canvass in Arizona, winning the state for the pro-labor presidential and senate candidates.
In December 2020 Local 11 sent more than 300 leaders to Georgia to join a coalition to campaign for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, winning two senate seats for the Democrats and ensuring that President Biden will have a majority in the Senate to enact policies to support working families.
Tourism Workers Rising Coalition to Partner with LA City Council to Raise Wage to $25 In Effort to Ensure Angelenos are Healthy and Housed
Los Angeles, CA – Tourism workers, the unions representing them – SEIU United Service Workers West and UNITE HERE Local 11 – and LA City Councilmember Curren Price are leading efforts to raise wages to be commensurate with a world-class tourism economy and world-class city. The proposed ordinance introduced by Price on April 12 would raise the wage for tourism workers to $25 an hour in 2023 with plans to increase their pay to $30 by 2028.
“LA’s tourism industry thrives on the hard work of its employees. But right now, minimum wage workers must work over 100 hours a week just to afford an apartment in LA,” Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky co-presented the ordinance. “It’s time to raise the wage and make sure that the people who make Los Angeles a world-class destination can actually afford to live here.”
“My rent is going up to $1,400, and I care for my adult son with schizophrenia. I’m worried because I don’t want to end up on the street like so many others in the city,” said Graciela Gomez, member of UNITE HERE Local 11 and housekeeper at the Four Points Sheraton LAX for 23 years
“A $25 minimum wage would mean we do not have to live paycheck to paycheck. We would be able to afford reliable transportation to and from work and pay our utility bills in full instead of little by little,” said Gary Duplessis, cook at Flying Food Group for six years.
“The status quo at LAX is broken. The aviation industry receives billions in taxpayer dollars – including $54 billion of pandemic relief to big airlines and billions more in public funding for airports,” said SEIU United Service Workers West President David Huerta. “LAX is set to receive billions in investments to prepare for the World Cup and the Olympics. While corporate CEOs and airline executives are reporting record revenues, yet the very workers – mostly Black, Brown, and immigrant workers– who make their profits possible can’t afford to pay rent, pay for healthcare, and are forced to work two or more jobs to make ends meet. The City of LA can and must do better. We’re excited to launch the Tourism Workers Rising campaign to improve the working conditions at LAX so that all airport workers and their families have access to affordable healthcare and wages that allow them to thrive.”
UNITE HERE Local 11 endorses Marisa Alcaraz for Council District 6
UNITE HERE Local 11 recognizes that among the many candidates in this district, there are a few who have track records advocating for our members. Marco Santana was endorsed by our allies at EAA and has been a leader on an issue of great urgency to the working poor: housing. Imelda Padilla worked with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and was a supporter of our efforts to raise the minimum wage for hospitality workers.
But while we credit these significant contributions by Santana and Padilla, Marisa Alcaraz has the strongest history with our Union. She led the fight for a groundbreaking sectoral minimum wage for hotel workers – Raise LA – which became an example for hospitality minimum wage laws around the country. Marisa Alcaraz stood with our members in the face of stiff opposition from powerful corporations, and we are proud to stand with her today.
“I’m voting for Marisa Alcaraz because she has been through hard struggle with us, has marched with us on the picket line, and understands our issues.” – Ana Cortez, room attendant at the Beverly Hilton.
Responsible Hotels Ordinance
WHAT DID LOCAL 11 DO FOR THE MIDTERMS?
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 counties, and the state of Georgia to elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for working families.
HUGO SOTO-MARTINEZ SWEARING IN
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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
HUGO THANKS UNITE HERE LOCAL 11
This is not a watch party for some politician. This is a family and a movement and a celebration of coming together to take on big challenges. Hospitality workers are going to keep this energy going for a long time, Los Angeles. ¡Sí se puede! — UNITE HERE Local 11
Laura Banuet Canvassing in Arizona
In 2022, HMS HOST Cashier at LAX Lara Banuet went to Arizona to knock on doors and fight for our democracy.
Ana Diaz Canvassing in Arizona
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.
Martha Santamaria for Hugo Soto-Martínez for LA City Council
“I am proud of Hugo, who is one of our own. 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.” UNITE HERE Local 11 Executive Vice President Martha Santamaria.