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UNITE HERE Local 11

Aramark at Arizona State: WE WANT A CONTRACT!

Food service workers employed by Aramark at ASU and the Phoenix Convention Center picketed at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus to demand respect, better staffing, and a fair contract.
ASU workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike on Nov 17.
Map of the Laguna Greenbelt and Irvine-

UNITE HERE Local 11 and the Irvine-Laguna Wildlife Corridor

Partner logos for the Irvine Laguna Wildlife Corridor, including UNITE HERE Local 11UNITE HERE Local 11 is a Charter Partner of the Irvine-Laguna Wildlife Corridor, a project of the Laguna Greenbelt that links the south coastal wilderness of Orange County to the Santa Ana Mountains. The goal of the Corridor is to reconnect these wilderness areas for the long-term health of our local wildlife. We are proud to provide this update about the results of our Union’s efforts to create vibrant ecosystems in the communities our members live.

Local 11 has a long history as a coalition member in the creation of the Corridor. Early on, Local 11 joined a coalition of environmental organizations in the Coast to Cleveland Coalition, the predecessor of the the Irvine-Laguna Wildlife Corridor. You can read more about our efforts to protect this land in the letter below from 2018.

Coast to Cleveland letter 2018This key biodiversity corridor came under threat from development. Voters protected it as Open Space Reserve when they passed Measure W in 2002. Local 11 joined a lawsuit with Laguna Greenbelt to protect two key parcels of land near the corridor (outlined in blue and in red in the following map), including one (outlined in blue) called the West Alton Parcel, through which the proposed corridor will now run.

Map showing route of Irvine-Laguna Greenbelt and the key parcels of land UNITE HERE Local 11 helped protect.

Thanks to these efforts, the Corridor project is advancing today. Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. has partnered with the company that is designing the groundbreaking wildlife crossing over the 101 Freeway north of Los Angeles and describes some of the benefits of this partnership for our Orange County members: “Humans directly benefit from healthy and robust natural areas within our communities and a fully functioning Wildlife Corridor is not only a key element in sustaining balanced ecosystems, but it also is a functional tool for making roadways safer by eliminating vehicle-wildlife collisions.”

This project will benefit a wide array of species native to the region, from foxes to bobcats to gnatcatchers to roadrunners, ensuring a thriving ecosystem for generations to come. Click here to learn more about the Wildlife Corridor and its progress toward completion, or click the map below to see the latest on Instagram.

Click here to learn more about the Wildlife Corridor and its progress toward completion, or click the map below to see the latest on Instagram.

Map of the Laguna Greenbelt and Irvine-

Disney Workers Win with Local 11!

We Stand with Sen. Mark Kelly!

Arizona Senator, Mark Kelly has always stood up for everyday Arizonans, and now he is standing up against authoritarianism. We are always proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and our allies a Worker Power!

Fair Games and Immigration Groups Call for Resignation of LA28’s Chairperson Wasserman in Response to Welcoming Trump’s MAGAfication of Board

Los Angeles, CA: Dozens of members of the Fair Games coalition—unions, community organizations, faith leaders, housing advocates, and immigration groups like UNITE HERE Local 11, CARECEN, NDLON, CLUE, LAANE, UFCW 770, UTLA and others—gathered to deliver a letter signed by hundreds and then hold a press conference outside of LA28’s Los Angeles offices.

While several individuals walked by wearing LA28 emblazoned merch, security threatened the peaceful coalition with arrest if they did not leave. Members of LA28 refused to go down to receive the letter.

The coalition’s demand for Wasserman to resign came after mid November’s announcement that the LA28 Organizing Committee has “gone MAGA” by appointing Kevin McCarthy, Diane Hendricks, Reince Priebus, Patrick Dumont, and Ken Moelis to its governing board. The coalition denounced the ways in which Casey Wasserman, Chairman of LA28, has kowtowed to Trump on security and undermined confidence in the Games’ independence and integrity.

The Fair Games Coalition has called for LA28 to commit to keeping ICE and all other immigration enforcement agencies away from the Games and out of the region. The safety and dignity of immigrant communities must not be compromised.

“LA28 can run the Trump Olympics. But LA28 cannot run the Los Angeles Olympics. If Casey Wasserman cannot see the difference and thinks appointing anti-union, anti-immigrant, pro-Trump billionaires is acceptable, then Casey Wasserman must resign — immediately,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, a member of Fair Games Coalition.

Rev. Andy Schweibert of Immanuel Presbyterian and member of Fair Games Coalition said, “We have seen the impact that this administration’s tactics to separate immigrant families and stoke fear has had on our members and families in our community. Our nation is facing a moral crisis. The Olympic and Paralympic games should lift all our communities, not create fear and uncertainty by aligning with federal forces who are endangering the safety of our community. LA28 and IOC must demand the immediate removal of ICE from Los Angeles and create a strong wall between the games and the administration’s oversight.”

Jose Madera of National Day Laborer Network said “ICE has detained thousands of community members in LA over the past few months. But to this day, LA28 has not publicly taken a stand in defence of LA’s immigrant communities. An Olympics and Paralympics security plan that gives control to a federal administration that is already attacking immigrants in our city and across the nation puts our entire community at risk.”

“We are demanding LA28 stand by and protect all workers and the rights of immigrants. We stand in solidarity with our community to demand protections for each other and all working-class Angelenos.” said Evelyn Hernandez, of CARECEN LA, TPS residency Coordinator.

The Fair Games Coalition Call for Resignation of LA28’s Chairperson Wasserman in Response to Welcoming Trump’s MAGAfication of Board

“LA28 can run the Trump Olympics. But LA28 cannot run the Los Angeles Olympics. If Casey Wasserman cannot see the difference and thinks appointing anti-union, anti-immigrant, pro-Trump billionaires is acceptable, then Casey Wasserman must resign — immediately,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, a member of Fair Games Coalition. (read more)

Large yellow banners lie in the center of the busy intersection at Century Boulevard and Avion Drive near LAX. The banners read, "City of LA: Why is Flying Food Group above the law?"

FOX 11: Airline catering workers stage protest near LAX

Hundreds of airline catering workers shut down a major entrance to LAX on Monday, blocking Century Boulevard and forcing some travelers to abandon vehicles and walk during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Workers allege unsafe working conditions, broken equipment, locked doors that create fire hazards, and unfair wages. According to union leaders representing the LAX airline catering workers, the demonstration is part of the push to “hold Flying Food Group accountable.”

A woman stands outside under a streetlight in the evening pointing to her sign that reads "City of LA: Why is Flying Food Group above the law?"

Thanksgiving Travel Alert: Hundreds of LAX Airline Catering Workers Call on City of L.A. to Hold Serial Lawbreaker Flying Food Accountable

Workers submit CalOSHA complaints alleging unsafe working conditions at Flying Food Group; company has previously been cited for safety and minimum wage violations

Demonstrators use a crosswalk in the evening to carry picket signs and flags across Century Boulevard near LAX

As tens of thousands of flights were scheduled out of LAX for the Thanksgiving holiday on Tuesday, the workers who prepare, package & deliver meals onto some of those flights called on the City of Los Angeles to hold Flying Food Group accountable for how it treats workers.

Flying Food Group operates with a city license to supply food for airlines like Air France, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines. Los Angeles law requires that its licensees follow laws that protect workers & the public as a condition of maintaining a license.

Workers have repeatedly brought a number of problems to the attention of city authorities, but the mayor-appointed leaders of Los Angeles World Airports have failed to take meaningful action to enforce the City’s requirements for its licensees with respect to Flying Food Group.

Five different government agencies have issued citations or complaints against Flying Food Group over the last several years, including:

  • Cal/OSHA issued a citation against Flying Food Group for five worker safety violations, including a “serious violation” for bolting shut an emergency door from the outside.
  • The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Contract Administration has issued six citations against Flying Food Group and its subcontractors for violations of the minimum wage.
  • The California Labor Commissioner issued a citation for violations of the state’s Right-of-Recall law affecting more than a dozen workers.
  • The California Highway Patrol issued a citation against the company for five public safety violations.

A woman stands outside under a streetlight in the evening pointing to her sign that reads "City of LA: Why is Flying Food Group above the law?"

Multiple women have alleged they experienced sexual harassment on the job in pending complaints with California’s anti-discrimination agency, and most recently, Flying Food Group workers filed complaints with Cal/OSHA alleging they have seen a variety of health and safety problems, including the following:

  • Apparent fire alarm malfunctions related to an industrial dishwasher that sparked an electrical fire
  • Chemical burns due to insufficient protective gear and understaffing
  • Burst overhead pipes that doused workers and food products with water
  • Flooded workspaces that do not drain in heavily trafficked areas
  • Large transportation vehicles that operate on the airport tarmac with frequent maintenance and safety issues, such as a smashed tail light, a nonfunctional horn, a severely warped loading step, broken side view mirrors, and unusable seatbelts;
  • Hydraulic lift breakdowns on the tarmac
  • An overloaded warehouse with allegedly obstructed exits, fire extinguishers, and fire sprinklers.

Two women stand under a street light in the evening holding up photo enlargements from a safety complaint

From Food Bank to Table: Recipes from the HTA Kitchen

Our partners at the Hospitality Training Academy have launched a new video series where HTA chefs demonstrate creative, easy-to-follow recipes using shelf-stable items, canned goods, fresh produce, and other ingredients commonly found at food banks or pantries.

Click here to watch HTA From Food Bank to Table videos below to learn how HTA chefs turn everyday ingredients into delicious, affordable meals for you and your family.

Thanksgiving Food Box Assembly

We volunteered with the LA Federation of Labor to help assemble food boxes that were distributed to hundreds of union families ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.