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The New England Joint Board UNITE HERE - manufacturing union endorsed Sanders
Another union endorsement that hasn't gotten any press.
About Us:
The New England Joint Board UNITE HERE is a union representing workers in the textile, garment, manufacturing, warehousing, laundry, and food service industries in New England. Our thousands of members are as diverse as the industries they work in. Women make up a large portion of our membership as do new immigrants and people of color. A large portion of our current membership was originally organized by our predecessor unions the ILGWU (International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union) and ACTWU (Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers). We carry the tradition of organizing workers in traditionally low-wage industries, bringing them and their families into well-paying middle class jobs. Our members work in cafeterias, factories, distribution centers, laundries, offices, group homes, airports, and mills. We are proud of our heritage and of our current status as an evolving union fighting for the rights of ALL workers.
Statement from Bert Barao, President of New England Joint Board UNITE HERE and tailor at Macy’s Department Store.
“Today I am proud to announce that the rank and file leaders of the Executive Board of the New England Joint Board UNITE HERE have unanimously voted to endorse Bernie Sanders for President of the United States. It is a particularly proud moment for our union because he is our own Senator for the great state of Vermont. Over the years we have come to know Bernie as a relentless and unflappable fighter for workers. Bernie is the candidate who will put workers and their families first. In these times, where big banks, corporations, and the wealthy few hold enormous power over both our economy and political process, we are in desperate need of a President who will challenge the powers which have whittled down our middle class. Bernie’s pledge to fight inequality, take on the big banks, and spread opportunity to all Americans not just the few, resonates with our members.
Today we are answering Bernie’s call for a political revolution. Our 10,000 members in the six New England states and New York work hard every day to provide for their families by exercising their voice on the job. We will exercise our collective voice to ensure that our country is no longer ruled by big banks. We will stand together to fight corporate special interests and the job-killing trade deals that empower them. We will bring people together to achieve a debt-free higher education system, a healthcare system which values people instead of profits, and a strong social security system that will allow people to retire with dignity. We will work hard to elect Bernie Sanders the next President of the United States.”
16 replies
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She watched the textile jobs leave the U.S., tried to warn others of the effects of offshoring - to no avail.
Proud retired union member until she died in '13. She sewed apparel predominantly from the Alfred Dunner line in a small factory called David Stevens in Blackwood, New Jersey.
She would be proud of this endorsement!
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17806/unite_here_rahm_emanuel_open_letter
...and here's a real gem on union endorsements, in general.
But the real eye opener is that UH endorsed Obama in 08 and Ms. Clinton and her corporate friends were not amused:
A little better source. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/17/AR2008011703439.html
Anywho, I just found this all interesting - possibly unrelated but still interesting.
A group of former UNITE HERE staffers and volunteers from around the country released an open letter to the union today, rebuking Chicago's UNITE HERE Local 1 for its endorsement of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and questioning the union's commitment to progressive unionism.
"Local 1’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago ... is a betrayal of the cause of all workers and a black mark on UNITE HERE’s legacy," the letter reads. As of Friday morning, the letter was signed by 41 people, almost all of whom listed the local or locals where they worked with the union.
"Local 1’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago ... is a betrayal of the cause of all workers and a black mark on UNITE HERE’s legacy," the letter reads. As of Friday morning, the letter was signed by 41 people, almost all of whom listed the local or locals where they worked with the union.
The union's endorsement of Emanuel goes "against everything I was ever taught" at the union: that "you could have all the money in the world, but organizing outdid money," says Jill Landrith, a former server at a restaurant inside the Westin Hotel in Chicago and member of Local 1. Landrith, who signed the open letter, left her server position to work for the union as an internal organizer from 2009 to 2014.
...and here's a real gem on union endorsements, in general.
During a staff meeting when the union was discussing its potential endorsement in late 2013, Landrith says she remembers a staffer commenting, "This is how the trades do it"—referring to the building trades unions, the vast majority of which endorsed Emanuel—"so if we want a seat at the table, this is how we have to do it, too." Another former Local 1 staffer present at the meeting confirmed hearing the statement.
But the real eye opener is that UH endorsed Obama in 08 and Ms. Clinton and her corporate friends were not amused:
A little better source. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/17/AR2008011703439.html
The group Unite Here, which represents 440,000 textile and hotel workers and is the parent union of the culinary workers' organization, began running a Spanish-language radio spot in which, according to a translation provided by the Clinton campaign, a narrator says: "Hillary Clinton does not respect our people. Hillary Clinton supporters want to prevent people from voting in their workplace on Saturday. This is unforgivable. Hillary Clinton is shameless."
The ad goes on tout Obama's candidacy and his defense of workers' rights.
Chris Bohner, a representative of the culinary workers union, said the union's leadership was deeply offended by the lawsuit.
"We can't think of a more negative and disgraceful political tactic than publicly supporting a lawsuit that would disenfranchise thousands of workers, bellhops, dishwashers, housekeepers, recent immigrants who've just become American citizens," Bohner said. "The ad intends to point out the fact that the Clinton campaign is supporting this lawsuit, which is entirely appropriate, and we completely stand by the ad. We've waited for the Clinton campaign to denounce the lawsuit, and they didn't."
The ad goes on tout Obama's candidacy and his defense of workers' rights.
Chris Bohner, a representative of the culinary workers union, said the union's leadership was deeply offended by the lawsuit.
"We can't think of a more negative and disgraceful political tactic than publicly supporting a lawsuit that would disenfranchise thousands of workers, bellhops, dishwashers, housekeepers, recent immigrants who've just become American citizens," Bohner said. "The ad intends to point out the fact that the Clinton campaign is supporting this lawsuit, which is entirely appropriate, and we completely stand by the ad. We've waited for the Clinton campaign to denounce the lawsuit, and they didn't."
Anywho, I just found this all interesting - possibly unrelated but still interesting.
Woot & Huzzah!!!!
Hat's off to workers uniting for a better tomorrow 
