UNITE HERE Local 11–ARIZONA
UNITE HERE Local 11 has been raising the standard for Arizona hospitality workers since 1912. We represent 2,000 workers in hotels, restaurants, airport concessions, and in-flight catering. Our members include many of the cooks, dishwashers, restaurant and banquet servers, bell staff, and room cleaners who welcome and take care of guests to our state.
Formerly known as Local 631, UNITE HERE Local 11 in Arizona is affiliated with the UNITE HERE International union, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
The hospitality workers of UNITE HERE provide the very best customer service while fighting to secure the wages and benefits we deserve and a real voice on the job.
Today that work continues, as workers at Arizona’s airports and union hotels negotiate new contracts, push for the opportunity for workers across the state to choose a union, and participate in community and political campaigns to raise the standard of living for working families in Arizona.
MEMBER BENEFITS
As a member of UNITE HERE Local 11, you and members of your family can take advantage of the services offered by our sister organization, Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy (CASE), to become US citizens. CASE’s Immigration and Worker Center was inaugurated in 2015 to help immigrant and refugee workers participate more fully in the economic and social life of our community. Programs offered by the Center have included:
- Assistance applying for health insurance and expanded Medicaid offered through the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- Assistance applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
- Naturalization services, including application (N-400) preparation assistance, help securing fee waivers and no-interest loans to pay the application fee, and civics and English classes to aid aspiring citizens in preparing for the Citizenship exam.
We look forward to expanding the number of working families served by these programs, and to expanding the Center’s offerings in coming years.
LEGAL FUND
In many Local 11 contracts, workers have negotiated a benefit designed to provide some legal services free of charge. Through an employer contribution, workers and their dependents can receive free assistance with immigration services, housing issues, divorce, adoption and other services. There are no deductibles or co-payments, and there are no limitations on covered services.
What services are provided?
Consumer matters (advice with creditors, small claims actions)
Social Security benefits
Personal bankruptcy
Real estate matters
Landlord–tenant disputes (rent increases, rent control, eviction)
Wills
Criminal misdemeanors
Family law
Immigration (consultation, work permit renewal I-765, green card renewal or replacement, citizenship application, consular processing, affidavit of support I-864, visas, legalization, asylum, DACA, etc.)
Power of Attorney
Notary services
Miscellaneous services (power of attorney, notary, translation of immigration documents, etc.)
Court costs and filling fees
How do I consult an attorney?
Contact Ms. Veronica Aguilar at the offices of Hadsell, Stormer & Renick LLP by calling (626) 773 3214 to arrange an appointment. Be sure to identify yourself as a participant in the legal fund of UNITE HERE Local 11.
Contact: Hadsell, Stormer & Renick LLP
250 E. 1st St., Suite 1201
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 785-6999
Office hours:
Monday – Friday
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
www.hadsellstormer.com
UNION PROPERTIES IN ARIZONA
HOTELS
- Pointe Hilton Resort
7677 North 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85020
Phone: 602-997-2626 - Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel
340 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-262-2500 - The Westin Phoenix Downtown
333 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-429-3500 - Renaissance Phoenix Downtown
50 East Adams Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-333-0000 - Tempe Mission Palms
60 E Fifth Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
Phone: 480-894-1400
PHOENIX SKY HARBOR AIRPORT CONCESSIONS OPERATED BY:
- HMSHost
- SSP America
TUCSON AIRPORT CONCESSIONS OPERATED BY:
- Delaware North
IN-FLIGHT CATERING:
- Sky Chefs
UNIVERSITIES:
- Arizona State University (ASU)
1151 South Forest Ave
Tempe, AZ 85281
CONVENTION CENTERS:
-
Phoenix Convention Center100 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
BREAKING: HMS Host workers at Sky Harbor Announce Their Return to Work After 10-day Strike
Airport food workers will return to their jobs—and the negotiating table
PHOENIX, AZ – On day ten of an indefinite strike, HMS Host workers at Sky Harbor airport announced their intention to return to work tomorrow, December 2, and to return to the negotiating table.
Workers initiated their strike to highlight their demand for a new, comprehensive contract with fair raises, affordable health insurance, a company-paid retirement contribution, protections for workers’ tips, and strong contract language for equal opportunity and protection from discrimination. Workers with UNITE HERE Local 11 have been in negotiations with HMS Host since 2017.
“Our intention with our strike was to bring more attention to the company’s stinginess after four years of negotiations, and to do it at a time when the company would be forced to recognize the value of our labor most—Thanksgiving,” said Victoria Stahl, barista in Terminal 4. “We did that and now we are ready to go back to the negotiating table.”
“It’s disgusting that I have to go to Mexico for medical care because the health insurance through the company doesn’t cover my treatment,” said Lucia Salinas, cook at Cowboy Ciao. “HMS Host saved more than $4 million on their rent during the pandemic thanks to rent relief from the City of Phoenix, but my family doesn’t get anything like that. Because we went on strike, now everyone can see what kind of company HMS Host is.”
Over the course of the strike, the union filed numerous unfair labor practice charges against their employer for allegedly violating the workers’ rights to organize and strike. The charges, filed with the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), allege that the company has interfered with workers’ federal labor rights by, among other conduct, questioning workers concerning whether they would be supporting the union and going on strike, limiting speech in the workplace, and surveilling workers’ protected activity.
“We want to thank the community for all of the support they showed us while we’ve been on strike,” said Beatriz Topete, organizing director with UNITE HERE Local 11 “The tweets from travelers, the thumbs up from other airport workers, the daily deliveries of food and drinks all kept us going. The generosity of our labor partners, especially the UFCW Local 99 and the Arizona AFL-CIO, made this Thanksgiving one we will remember for the rest of our lives. Solidarity means everything.”
HMS Host workers make up the largest group of food concessions workers at the Phoenix airport. HMS Host is the single largest concessionaire at Sky Harbor Airport, employing hundreds of workers in all Starbucks coffee shops at the airport and popular restaurants such as Barrio Cafe, Chelsea’s Kitchen, and SanTan Brewery.
Along with issues like affordable healthcare and retiring with dignity, strikers plan to return to negotiations with a focus on ensuring equality at work on the basis of race, gender, age, and sexual orientation. On November 18, the union formally asked the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate the company’s pay and promotion practices. In a complaint filed with the EEOC, the union alleged that during 2019 Black/African American workers were paid on average only 67% of the total earnings of white workers, taking home on average $9,539.49 less per year than white workers. Several individual HMS Host workers at Sky Harbor have also filed pending sex and age discrimination complaints with the EEOC.
Click here to learn more about the strike and hear worker testimonials.
Victoria Stahl
“Our intention with our strike was to bring more attention to the company’s stinginess after four years of negotiations, and to do it at a time when the company would be forced to recognize the value of our labor most – Thanksgiving,” said Victoria Stahl, barista in Terminal 4. “We did that and now we are ready to go back to the negotiating table.”
Lucia Salinas
“It’s disgusting that I have to go to Mexico for medical care because the health insurance through the company doesn’t cover my treatment,” said Lucia Salinas, cook at Cowboy Ciao. “HMS Host saved more than $4 million on their rent during the pandemic thanks to rent relief from the City of Phoenix, but my family doesn’t get anything like that. Because we went on strike, now everyone can see what kind of company HMS Host is.”
Vivien Eubanks
As Indefinite Strike Rages On, UNITE HERE Local 11 Workers at Sky Harbor’s HMS Host File Federal Unfair Labor Practice Charges
Workers allege the company has engaged in coercive conduct in violation of labor laws
and asked the National Labor Relations Board to investigate
PHOENIX – On day five of an indefinite strike, HMS Host workers at Sky Harbor airport announced their union has filed unfair labor practice charges against their employer for allegedly violating the workers’ rights to organize and strike. The charges, filed with the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), allege that the company has interfered with workers’ federal labor rights by, among other conduct, questioning workers concerning whether they would be supporting the union and going on strike, limiting speech in the workplace, and surveilling workers’ protected activity.
HMS Host workers make up the largest group of food concessions workers at the Phoenix airport. HMS Host is the single largest concessionaire at Sky Harbor Airport, employing hundreds of workers in all Starbucks coffee shops at the airport and popular restaurants such as Barrio Cafe, Chelsea’s Kitchen, and SanTan Brewery.
The pending charges filed this week and prior to the strike include allegations that:
Workers are demanding a new, comprehensive contract with fair raises, affordable health insurance, a company-paid retirement contribution, protections for workers’ tips, and strong contract language for equal opportunity and protection from discrimination. Workers with UNITE HERE Local 11 have been in negotiations with HMS Host since 2017. Delays in settling a contract mean delays in wage increases and official COVID safety protocols during a global pandemic. On November 18th, after almost four years of negotiations and no contract, workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize the strike.
This June, UNITE HERE Local 11 filed an unfair labor practice charge alleging that Host management directed two Starbucks baristas to remove their “Black Lives Matter” masks, which workers had decided to wear as part of an effort to advance racial equity at the company. After a regional office of the NLRB investigated, Host agreed to settle the charge by pledging to employees that it will not prohibit workers from wearing Black Lives Matter masks.
Concerns about racial justice have featured prominently at HMS Host. On November 18, the union formally asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate the company’s pay and promotion practices. In a complaint filed with the EEOC, the union alleged that during 2019 Black/African American workers were paid on average only 67% of the total earnings of white workers, taking home on average $9,539.49 less than white workers. In 2020, UNITE HERE issued a report alleging a $1.85 median hourly wage gap between Black and white baristas at Starbucks facilities operated by Host at airports across the country. Several individual HMS Host workers at Sky Harbor have also filed pending sex and age discrimination complaints with the EEOC.
Angie Sanchez
Maria Ríos
ADVISORY: Indefinite Strike by Sky Harbor HMS Host Workers Will Continue Through Thanksgiving
Solidarity with strikers continues to grow as HMS Host remains obstinate
Phoenix – On a day many reserve for gratitude and gathering with family, HMS Host workers will continue to picket, chant and hold a drum line at Sky Harbor. Workers have been on strike since Monday when they announced their indefinite walkout. The strike will impact travelers arriving and departing from Terminals 3 and 4.
Thanksgiving Day, workers will have a special program to give thanks to each other and for the solidarity of the community.
ADVISORY: Sky Harbor HMS Host Workers’ Indefinite Strike Reaches Day 3
Airport concessions worker strike continues into busiest travel day of the year
Phoenix – HMS Host workers’ indefinite strike will reach its third day just one day before Thanksgiving, reportedly the busiest travel day of the year. Striking workers will continue to picket, chant and hold a drum line in protest of HMS Host’s unwillingness to agree to their demands for a fair labor contract. The strike will impact travelers arriving and departing from Terminals 3 and 4.
On Tuesday, striking workers were joined by State Senator Martin Quezada (LD29) and State Representatives Reginald Bolding (LD27) and Melody Hernandez (LD26) on the picket line.
Monday, workers walked out and joined an energized picket line and rally outside Terminal 4. Workers were joined by local community groups, labor allies, and elected officials.