Local 11 members win. A lot. We are more than 32,000 workers across Southern California and Arizona, and we campaign constantly to improve our workplaces, organize new workers, and build power for working people in our communities. Check out these highlights from our union’s recent victories and learn about all the different ways we are getting stronger in a union.
CHECK OUT OUR RECENT UNION HIGHLIGHTS!
Local 11 Endorses Nithya Raman for Mayor of Los Angeles
Brenda Mendoza, Laundry attendant at the JW Marriott L.A Live, member of UNITE HERE Local 11 said, “For 16 years, I have worked at the JW Marriott in Downtown Los Angeles, but I can no longer afford to live in the city where I was born, raised, and work. I was priced out of Koreatown and now live hours away in Apple Valley. I wake up at 2:30 in the morning, spend as much as four hours a day driving my family and myself to work, and sometimes get only three hours of sleep. I’ve watched more and more of my coworkers get pushed out of Los Angeles to Victorville, Lancaster, Bakersfield, and even farther away. Working people should be able to afford to live in the city we keep running every day. Nithya Raman has stood with workers like me on our picket lines, and I believe she will fight for us as mayor. I’m ready to fight for her, too, and help get Los Angeles out to vote. ¡Vamos con Nithya!”
Read the press release here
Lawsuit Filed Against Long Beach Yacht Club for Alleged Pregnancy-Based Harassment and Retaliation
According to the lawsuit, the Yacht Club’s executive chef insulted the worker’s work ethic when she requested shorter shifts because of her pregnancy and questioned whether such accommodations were necessary. The executive chef allegedly mocked her in front of kitchen staff after she extended her maternity leave in 2024 because she was struggling with post-partum depression. The complaint also alleges that the executive chef timed her restroom breaks when she was pregnant and scolded her if he thought she took too long. He allegedly scolded her so often that at times she urinated herself instead of using the restroom just to avoid discipline.
Read the full press release here.
WINNING AT THE SANDBOURNE SANTA MONICA
Cooks and servers at the Sandbourne Santa Monica finally got a union contract that will give them healthcare, pension and a $10 raise effective immediately. The housekeepers at the hotel got their first union contract in 2019. In that first contract they won partial growth that added the bell department, front desk, engineering and banquets. In their 2023 contract they added the restaurant and F & B departments. Now these workers finally got their contract. When we fight, we win!
Standing in solidarity with Local 1
We stand in solidarity with our union sisters and brothers in Chicago. One union. One fight. Together, we win!
The Compass United Lounges in LAX ratify their first union contract
ASU Workers File First Amendment Lawsuit Against Arizona State University
As students return to campus for a new school year, food service workers employed by Aramark at Arizona State University held a ‘Welcome Back’ picket at ASU’s Tempe campus. The picket come just a week after Local 11 filed a federal lawsuit against Arizona State University, the Arizona Board of Regents, and ASU President Michael Crow, alleging that university officials systematically violated their First Amendment rights by restricting workers’ ability to protest on and near ASU’s campus.
VICTORY AT DIGNITY HEALTH SPORTS PARK
Workers at Dignity Health Sports Park ratified a new union contract with great benefits. 98% voted YES for the contract that secured wages close to or at $30 per hour and allowed workers to combine their health benefit hours across the entire event center.
Grand Opening of the UNITE HERE Local 11 Health and Dental Center
UNITE HERE Local 11—in Partnership with MLK Community Healthcare—opened a 15,000 square foot State of the Art Medical and Dental Center for Hospitality Workers. This clinic sets a national standard for hospitality worker care—and it is all because of our commitment to fighting and growing our union throughout the region.
Union members , employers, and union leadership where joined by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez who celebrated the opening of this one-of-a-kind dental and medical center. And plenty of members of the press were at hand to report on this monumental achievement. Sí se pudo!
KNX NEWS: Unionized workers at Jonathan Club in DTLA vote to authorize strike
“This is a club that has the wealthiest people in Los Angeles who are its members. They can afford to pay this,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. “Many of those members are not only in this club, but they have second and third homes and you know, when our members can’t afford one home, that’s just not acceptable.”
FOX 11: Disneyland hotel workers protest during D23 weekend: ‘No Magic in Our Paychecks’
Hundreds of Disneyland Resort hotel workers rallied near Harbor Boulevard and Convention Way during D23 weekend.
Union representatives with UNITE HERE Local 11 state that contract negotiations with Disney have yielded little progress after months of talks.
Those protesting included cast members, including cooks, dishwashers, and room attendants.
Solidarity with IATSE Workers at Universal Studios!
NBCUniversal is raking in the profits. In 2024, its theme parks division alone made $2.9 billion, enough to pay its parent company’s CEO $33.9 million. Universal Studios theme parks made $2.4 BILLION in revenue in the second quarter of 2026—a 2.7% increase—but are refusing to negotiate a living wage with IATSE Local B-192 members. Universal’s latest wage proposal would give workers a $20,000 per year pay cut! The workers who make the park run are struggling to stay housed. And instead of recognizing our hard work, the company has proposed to one of our unions what will amount to a pay cut. Workers deserve better!
Sodexo workers at the Qantas Lounge fighting for their first union contract
Fair Games Coalition Meeting
Representatives from the over 70 groups that form the Fair Games Coalition came together to discuss a strategic timeline to advance our goals in the two years before the Olympics and Paralympics are in Los Angeles. The coalition’s demands include funding for 50,000 units of housing, and a moratorium on short-term rentals (like Airbnb). If the IOC, LA28, city leaders, and corporate CEOs fail to meet workers’ needs, workers will be prepared to take to the streets!
Daily Pilot: Anaheim Marriott union wins $2.75 million settlement in recalled workers’ case
“When workers stand together, accountability is possible,” Ada Briceño, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, said during a press conference. “Behind this settlement are families who struggle to pay rent, put food on the table and make ends meet. While this cannot erase those hardships, it delivers long overdue justice to every employee. The message is simple: respect workers and follow the law.”
Flying Food Group: Press Tsunami Over Alleged Health Violations
In-flight catering workers the Flying Food Group kitchen in LA reported exposure to cockroaches, mold, maggots, and excessive heat while preparing in-flight meals for flights leaving LAX. And—of course—the press worldwide went nuts over it! Here’s a sample of the coverage.
VOICE of OC: OC Supervisors and Developer at Odds over Dana Point Harbor Remodel
“It’s imperative that they have worker retention that will safeguard them when this specific project is finalized so workers can come back,” Ada Briceño, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, said in a interview. “If John Wayne (Airport) already has worker retention and it’s a county-owned property, then we also need to make sure that the Dana Point hotel also has worker retention.”
Standing for equitable health care with LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
Local 11 members and staff stood alongside Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell to support an independent review of the formula that distributes Measure B funds to area hospitals. Recent federal funding cuts and new policies that affect programs like Medi-Cal could force 1.1 million LA County residents to lose health coverage. The independent study would ensure the funds are put to their best and most equitable use.