UNITE HERE urges Democrats to pick Minneapolis for 2012 convention

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4706

7 December 2010

MINNEAPOLIS - UNITE HERE, which represents people who work as housekeepers, waiters, dishwashers and cooks in hotels and other facilities, is asking the Democratic National Convention Committee to choose Minneapolis or St. Louis as the host city of the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

According to UNITE HERE, only St. Louis and Minneapolis are among the four finalist cities with the capacity to house a large portion of convention delegates and guests in unionized hotels.

“Employees at union hotels are far more likely than employees in non-union hotels to get the sort of basic fair treatment for which the Democratic Party stands,” said John W. Wilhelm, president of UNITE HERE. “Charlotte and Cleveland do not meet the criteria when it comes to union hotels and facilities and should be removed from the list of finalist cities.”

The Minneapolis area has more than 20 union hotels and St. Louis has 10. Additionally, employees at sporting event facilities and convention centers in both St. Louis and Minneapolis are all union members.

“UNITE HERE hopes the DNC Committee will not only support its members by holding the 2012 convention in either St. Louis or Minneapolis, but will also work with industry and political leaders to bring better jobs and union organization to those in the hospitality industry,” the union said.

UNITE HERE represents nearly half a million hospitality, gaming, apparel, textile and laundry workers in the United States and Canada.

For more information
Visit the UNITE HERE website: http://www.unitehere.org/

The behavior of officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul when the Republicans held their convention keeps me from endorsing this.