(The Associated Press circulated the following article on July 8.)
CHICAGO — Two national labor unions representing hospitality and textile workers agreed to merge Thursday, creating an organization with more than 800,000 active workers and retirees.
About 1,500 delegates from both the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) voted to combine the two labor groups at a meeting at a Chicago hotel.
The new union, called UNITE HERE, boasts an active membership of more than 440,000 workers, as well as more than 400,000 retirees, in both the United States and Canada, union spokeswoman Amanda Cooper said.
She said the new union will be better positioned to negotiate on behalf of its members. The combined group will represent workers in the apparel and textiles industries, along with hospitality workers in the food service, hotel, restaurant, casino and airport industries.
Bruce Raynor of UNITE will serve as general president of the new union, while John Wilhelm of HERE will be president/hospitality industries.
“By voting to merge today, UNITE and HERE members did more than just combine two unions; they showed us a blueprint for the future of the labor movement,” Raynor said in a statement.