UNITE, HERE Finalize Merger
Delegates of the United States’ main garment workers union, UNITE, voted July 8 to officially merge with HERE, the hospitality industry’s union, to form UNITE HERE, a single union comprising 440,000 members and 400,000 retirees.
The signing was highlighted by a march of 5,000 union members down Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, led by Jesse Jackson and UNITE HERE President Bruce Raynor. The chief aim of the merger is to raise wage and living standards for both industries.
The two groups have been working together for some time. Last year, they helped workers at the New Jersey and Connecticut distribution facilities of Swedish clothing giant H&M Co. Inc. gain union representation.
Immediately following the signing, UNITE HERE filed complaints against two Mexican garment factories that produce “scrubs” for St. Louis–based Life Uniform. UNITE HERE alleged the factories have been paying below minimum wages and have failed to pay some employees for work.
Union representation in the California apparel industry has dwindled over the years, said Joe Rodriguez, president of the Los Angeles– based Garment Contractors Association of Southern California Inc., which represents companies.
“I think there’s only one or two companies whose employees are represented by unions here,” Rodriguez said. “UNITE had a bigger presence years ago, but I see this as a move for UNITE to get larger support from [HERE] because their own membership has dropped.”
UNITE has worked with California companies— including Gap Inc., Levi Strauss & Co. and American Apparel LLC—in settling a number of labor issues.
—R.M.
