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 Center
    100 North 3rd Street
    Phoenix, AZ 85004

HMS Host Workers Vote 97% to Strike

STRIKE ALERT: Ahead of Busy Travel Season, Sky Harbor HMS Host Workers Vote 97% to Authorize Strike

BREAKING NEWS: 11/19/2021

Phoenix airport concessions workers may announce an indefinite walkout any day following overwhelming vote in favor of strike

Phoenix: HMS Host workers at Sky Harbor Airport voted 97% Thursday in favor of authorizing a strike. The authorization comes just one week before the Thanksgiving holiday, after almost four years of negotiations and no contract. Workers have not yet announced a date for the strike to begin.

HMS Host is the single largest concessionaire at Sky Harbor Airport employing hundreds of workers in over two dozen restaurant and coffee shop outlets. A strike would impact travelers arriving and departing in both Terminal 3 and 4.

“We are ready to do whatever it takes for however long it takes to win what we deserve: fair raises, health insurance that we can actually afford, and a pension,” said barista Victoria Stahl. “There is no reason that HMS Host cannot do these things. It’s disrespectful of the hard work that my coworkers and I have put in through the pandemic. They’ve rejected our proposals at the bargaining table and if this is what we need to do for them to listen, we’re ready.”

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.

“I voted yes to authorize a strike because I have worked for HMS Host for 27 years and I still don’t have a pension,” said cook Santos Mojica. “I want to know that I will be able to afford to retire in dignity when I can no longer work.”

“I voted yes to authorize a strike because I spend over $350 a month for health insurance and my medication. It isn’t fair that I have to go to Mexico for medical treatment that the company insurance plan won’t cover. Host still hasn’t agreed in bargaining to make health insurance affordable for us and our families. I don’t want to see my raises spent to keep up with the rising cost of my insurance. That isn’t right,” said Lucia Salinas, a cook for 17 years with HMS Host.

Arizona Activists Descend on AZ Attorney General’s Office to Protest Republican Voter Suppression and Demand Federal Action to Protect Voting Rights

Phoenix, AZ – Nine people were taken into Phoenix Police Department custody after participating in a peaceful civil disobedience outside of Attorney General Brnovich’s office Thursday morning as part of a rally and picket line protesting his relentless attacks on Arizonans’ voting rights.

“We are telling Mark Brnovich, our Attorney General, that we will not just sit by and watch as our rights are stripped away. We deserve real national voting rights legislation and we will do whatever it takes to make that happen,” said Joshua Wells, a community organizer.

On July 1, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in support of Brnovich’s defense of two restrictive voting laws. The decision gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, undermining historic protections against racial discrimination in elections. Additionally, the Arizona state legislature passed a flurry of anti-voter measures at the tail end of the session that concluded last week. One of those bills requires the Secretary of State to provide voter information, including’ date of birth and part of their Social Security number, to a third-party private vendor who could then remove them from the voter rolls.

At the same time, the Arizona legislature took the unprecedented move of removing powers from the Secretary of State and conferring them on the Arizona Attorney General, a move that coincides with the end of Secretary Katie Hobbs’ term. Attorney General Brnovich announced his intention to run for U. S. Senate in 2022 on June 10.

“We have brave freedom fighters here today who are going to demand justice from our Attorney General and demand that he stop attacking the freedom to vote. When you have a complicit governor, a complicit attorney general, [and a] complicit majority-Republican legislature, there’s only so much we can do here today,” said State Representative Athena Salman, addressing the crowd, “We need Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Senator Mark Kelly and President Joe Biden to stand up. We delivered for them and now they have to deliver for us. The number one thing, the foundation of our democracy, is protecting our freedom to vote.

More than 75 attended the action that highlighted the need for the For the People Act – federal voting rights legislation – to protect against the 350+ voter suppression bills introduced across 47 states since January 2021.

The same coalition recently completed a weeklong freedom ride to Washington D.C for voting rights.

Rebecca Jackson: I Did it For My Family

Marilyn Wilbur: I Just Got Arrested for Democracy

Victoria Stahl

Unite Here Hits the Road to Defend Voting Rights