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.
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
AZ CENTRAL: Sky Harbor concession workers vote to authorize strike
Phoenix Convention Center Ratifies a New Contract
2022 ARIZONA MIDTERMS THANK YOU VIDEO
As the largest field operation in Arizona, UNITE HERE Local 11 and Worker Power were crucial in bringing Senator Kelly and Governor Hobbs over the finish line. Our 400 canvassers were hard at work knocking on over 750,000 doors since late summer, and talking to 120,000 voters. Thank you to everyone who joined us.
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.
Hunger Strike Kick-Off Ahead of MLK Day by UNITE HERE Local 11, CASE Action & Un-PAC to Urge Senate to Pass of Freedom To Vote Act
PHOENIX–UNITE HERE Local 11, CASE Action, and Un-PAC today launched a hunger strike outside the Arizona State Capitol to continue to pressure elected leaders in Washington to pass the Freedom to Vote Act.
On day 1, strikers were joined by State Senator Raquel Teran and Pastor Aubrey Barnwell, among others.
“The freedom that I have spent my life protecting is under attack,” said Marilyn Wilbur, CASE Action organizer and veteran of the US Air Force. “The Arizona legislature last year passed a law that will purge hundreds of thousands of mail voters from the Permanent Early Voter list, and another that will limit the time voters have to fix a signature on their ballot. Our state is part of a national trend to limit voting rights. That is why I joined the hunger strike for the freedom to vote.”
Ari Berrong-Huber, a UNITE HERE Local 11 member at Sky Harbor airport, also shared why he’s fighting for the freedom to vote. “Last August, I joined hundreds of other union members in a civil disobedience in DC. The freedom to vote is a sacred right. It is the way citizens can fight for better education, access to healthcare, and protections during the pandemic. Now I’m joining the hunger strike to call attention to the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. We can’t let loopholes and obstructionism stand in our way.”
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CASE Action Fund is an economic justice organization dedicated to improving the lives of Arizona’s working families through policy advocacy and increasing participation in the political process.
Just in Time for Christmas, HMS Host Workers in Three Cities Ratify New Contracts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 24, 2021
Food workers at Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Orange County airports win significant raises and improved job security
Airport food workers with UNITE HERE Local 11 voted to ratify new contracts with HMS Host Thursday at Los Angeles International, Phoenix Sky Harbor International, and John Wayne Orange County airports.
All three two-year agreements lift workers at the bottom of the payscale to livable wages and establish stronger job security and anti-discrimination protections.
“I love my job and what I do, but the money I’ve been making hasn’t been enough to live on,” said Evelyn Torres, an LAX lounge attendant. “I voted yes to go on strike if we had to, and I’m so proud that now we have a new agreement and we’re getting the raises we actually deserve.”
“The health insurance alone will be life-changing for me and my family,” said Lucia Salinas, a cook at Cowboy Ciao at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. “After fighting for a contract for about four years, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief that we have what we need and deserve.”
HMS Host is the single largest concessionaire at LAX, Sky Harbor, and John Wayne airports—employing nearly 1300 workers at dozens of restaurants and all on-airport Starbucks stores. HMS Host workers also staff the American Airlines Admirals Club and American Eagle lounges at LAX.
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.”
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.”