Dear UNITE HERE Local 1,

We the undersigned are allies and supporters of UNITE HERE, in Chicago and elsewhere. We have all, at some point, committed our hearts, souls, and hours, as volunteer interns, boycott and research volunteers, and staff in the belief that UNITE HERE was a powerful force for justice for hospitality workers and workers everywhere. Local 1’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago is the exact opposite, however: it is a betrayal of the cause of all workers and a black mark on UNITE HERE’s legacy.

Local 1’s campaign, “Rahm Love,” claims that the mayor “loves” workers in Chicago, raising wages and supporting their unions. Nothing could be further from the truth. Throughout his term as mayor, Rahm has enacted a program of devastation against workers throughout Chicago, from his attempt to destroy the standards of the Chicago Teachers Union, closing half the mental health clinics in the city, presiding over a higher unemployment rate among African Americans than other cities, and continuing to use TIFs as a city slush fund to benefit corporate wealth and the rich.

American cities are facing pitched battles. On one side, progressive candidates are advancing across the country and socialist electoral candidates are winning elections in major cities like Jackson, Miss., and Seattle, Wash., and marchers are blocking freeways and shutting down public spaces in protest of police violence; on the other side, gentrification displaces communities into desolate ring suburbs, and politicians race to give the biggest tax breaks to corporations. This is no different in Chicago, and there is a crucial question of all unions to be asked: which side are you on?

Taking the choice of struggle is dangerous and uncertain, but one an increasing number of unions, like the CTU, have taken. Local 1’s choice was clearly not made out of stupidity or ignorance. It is a calculated choice to prioritize opportunistic gains and favor in the halls of power over the road of struggle. This is an old strategy, and one that time and again has proved a failure in the long run. It is just like an organizing drive at a workplace: to some workers the boss offers raises, promotions and even some power while others are subject to firings, surveillance, and intimidation. Those the boss tries to buy off have a choice: do they stand with their coworkers for real power, or take the pittance they’re offered? UNITE HERE Local 1 has chosen the table scraps, and thrown their fellow workers into the fire.

How could this choice have been made? It is telling that this letter does not include many current activists for the union. It is not that staff and volunteers throughout the union are not disgusted by Local 1’s behavior. Quite the contrary, there are many who agree with us, but they are afraid. They are afraid of losing their jobs, of being squeezed out of work they’ve poured themselves into, or getting cornered into uncomfortable conversations ensuring at least their silence. What’s more, some think of themselves as committed to the broader movement but have bought into the destructive idea that no matter what, building their union is identical with building the movement and thus deny the destructive impacts of this opportunism. This anti-political and anti-democratic atmosphere is a dangerous omen for the state of rank-and-file democracy in UNITE HERE, and leads us to wonder what Local 1’s membership thinks of Rahm, their union’s behavior, and whether the union represents their interests.

What is hardest to take is that we chose to work with UNITE HERE because we saw it as a beacon for worker militancy and a progressive outlook in a labor movement that oftentimes looks dismal. The training, experience, and commitment to workers’ struggle we gained in our work with UNITE HERE is invaluable, as is UNITE HERE’s historic support for victories in immigrant rights, dramatic rises in worker standards, and innovation in union tactics. Even after leaving UNITE HERE work for our various reasons, we still believed UNITE HERE could be a valuable place for young activists to put their time and energy. Local 1’s endorsement, however, raise serious doubts on this.

We hope this letter is heard by UNITE HERE Local 1 leadership, but more importantly we hope it is heard by union militants everywhere and the UNITE HERE rank and file. Do not stand cynically by as Local 1’s leadership follows the old losing playbook and betrays the entire movement. We can and must have a fighting, progressive labor movement, and we can and must beat Rahm.

In love and struggle,

Name	Current City	Local(s) Worked With
B. Norman	Chicago IL	Local 1, Rank and File
J. Allocca	Boston	Local 26
A. Barney	Bay Area CA	Local 8
M. Beshers	Chicago IL	Local 1
S. Bhatti	Chicago IL	Local 226
J. Blatz		Local 1, Local 57
W. Bloom	New Haven CT	Local 1
R. Branson	New York NY	Local 23
L. Brennan	Portland OR	Local 1, Local 226, Local 8
L. Brown	Las Vegas	Local 226
M. Carrillo	Seattle	Local 8
G. Chacon	Chicago IL	Local 1
C. Chewning	Philadelphia PA	Local 54
K. Connor	New York, NY	New York Joint Board
I. Dalto	Baltimore	Local 7, Local 11
R. Day	Baltimore MD	Local 7
P. Degange	Bay Area CA	Local 2, Local 226
M. Ellmauer	Washington DC	Local 23
M. Espinoza	Portland OR	Local 8
S. Finkelstein	Chicago IL	Local 1
M. Floyd	Bay Area CA	Local 2
A. Fortunato	Chicago IL	Local 1
N. Gallagher		Local 57
X. Gieryn	Indianapolis IN	Local 23
J. Goldberg	New Haven CT	Local 54, Local 226
O. Goldberg	New York NY	Local 355, International Union
S. Goldman	Boston MA	Local 1
F. Gomez	Indianapolis IN	Local 23
L. Green	Chicago IL	Local 1
S. Gutstein	Chicago IL	Local 1
K. Ho	Chicago IL	Local 1
B. Hofwolt	Chicago IL	Local 1
N. Husain	Bay Area CA	Local 2
A. Igoe	Chicago IL	Local 1
J.L. Jackson	Buffalo NY	Local 1
M. Johnson	Chicago IL	Local 1
C. Johnson	Berkeley, CA	Local 1
W. Kingston	Lucerne	Local 1
J. Landrith	Chicago IL	Local 1
E. Lennox	San Diego, CA	Local 30
Z. Lesher	Washington DC	Local 23
N. Lozada	Chicago IL	Local 1
Z. Lutz	Chicago IL	International Union
M. Lyons	Philadelphia PA	Local 54
L. Misumi		Local 2
V. M. Moore	Minneapolis MN	Local 1
R. Munoz	Chicago IL	Internationa Union
S. Neylon	Madison WI	Local 226
G. Powell	Chicago IL	Local 134
C. Prendiville	San Francisco CA	International Union
C. Ramires-Rosa	Chicago IL	Local 1
F. Robinson	Chicago
M. Schreiber-Stainthorp	Chicago IL	Local 1
J. Schuhrke		Local 1
C. Seres	Minneapolis MN	Local 226
B. Smith	Indianapolis IN	Local 23
S. Stackhouse	Portland	Local 8
D. Stevens	Albequerqeu NM	Local 11
C. Stevenson	Indianapolis IN	Local 1, International Union
M. Stewart	Chicago
J. Suh	Los Angeles	Local 2, Local 226
B. Thielen	Racine WI	International Union
S. Tynan	Chicago IL	Local 1, Leave Of Absense, rank and file
S. Vitale	Detroit	Local 24
J. Ward	Sydney, Australia	Local 5, Local 217, International Union
M. Weller	Santa Cruz, CA	Local 483
M. Whalen	St Paul MN	Local 17
N. Woodsum	New York City	New England Joint Board, International Union
V. Zukowski	Chicago IL	Local 1

 

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Please send any inquiries regarding this letter to: norahmlove4uh@gmail.com