Under Mills, UNITE HERE will double down on new
union organizing, take on tough industrial campaigns, and expand
political organizing program in key battleground states ahead of
2024 election
Today at UNITE HERE’s 2024 Constitutional Convention, Gwen Mills
was elected as the international union's new president, making her
the first woman to hold this position in the organization’s
130-year history. Gwen’s election as President marks a significant
milestone for both UNITE HERE—which has a membership of nearly
275,000 hospitality workers across the U.S. and Canada, a majority
of whom are women—and the broader labor movement.
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UNITE HERE President Gwen Mills. She is
the first woman to lead the union in its 130-year history. (Photo:
Business Wire)
"I am deeply honored to lead UNITE HERE into a new era," said
Mills. "Our Union has shown incredible resilience and strength
through the pandemic and has set new standards for jobs in our
industries, proving that hospitality jobs can be good union jobs.
We don’t shy away from taking on powerful corporate interests, and
we don’t back down from a fight. Now is the time to do even more to
support workers who want a union. UNITE HERE members enjoy a
standard that millions of other hospitality workers in the U.S. and
Canada don’t yet have–but we’re ready to take bold action to ensure
that all industry workers get the respect, wages and working
conditions they deserve."
At the Convention, Mills highlighted her vision for the future
of the union, emphasizing a dedication to building power against
corporate influence through investing in union growth, expanding
UNITE HERE’s political organizing, and taking on issues that
directly impact workers, such as climate change and technology.
Building on UNITE HERE’s momentum as the fastest growing
private-sector union in the AFL-CIO, Mills committed to doubling
the annual investment in union growth across hotels, casinos,
institutional food service, and emerging hospitality industries.
With more workers than ever looking to unionize, UNITE HERE aims to
seize the moment to organize and empower the nearly 14 million
nonunion workers in the service industry to unionize, and provide a
platform for women and people of color to lead.
Mills also outlined key campaigns for this year, including a
historic showdown in the hotel industry, where room rates are the
highest in history, but workers are struggling to support their
families and the industry cuts jobs and guest services. 40,000
hotel workers in 22 markets are ready to take on major brands like
Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt to demand respect for their work
through increased wages and a reversal of staffing cuts.
Additionally, Mills announced plans to ramp up the union’s
political organizing program in key battleground states like
Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, and launch new programs in Ohio
and Michigan. UNITE HERE runs the largest labor-led canvassing
program in the U.S., which is unique in that its canvassers are
union members: housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, and concessions
workers who have fought and won in their workplaces and
communities. They take the skills they learned organizing their
coworkers to turn out voters to elect officials who will fight for
workers and support their ability to organize, and support
legislation that improves jobs in the hospitality industry.
"On behalf of the 12.5 million union members in the AFL-CIO, I
am thrilled to celebrate the election of Gwen Mills to her first
full term as President of UNITE HERE. President Mills is a
visionary leader who has helped guide UNITE HERE through some of
the hospitality industry’s most challenging and transformational
moments. When the pandemic devastated the hospitality industry and
nearly all UNITE HERE workers lost their jobs, President Mills put
members to work and created one of the country’s most powerful and
effective get-out-the-vote operations, unleashing victories up and
down the ballot in the 2020 and 2022 elections,” said AFL-CIO
President Liz Shuler. “Under her leadership, UNITE HERE is
delivering historic new contracts for workers, expanding into new
workplaces and regions, and bringing in more women and people of
color—not only to be a part of the movement, but to lead it.
President Mills and UNITE HERE show us every day what a modern,
inclusive and resilient union looks like — a union that empowers
its members to fight and win. We look forward to continuing our
fight together to improve the lives of hospitality workers—and all
workers—across this country."
Mills, a seasoned community organizer and labor leader, has a
remarkable record of transforming communities by growing the power
of the labor movement. Her early work in her hometown of New Haven,
Connecticut built broad-based support for workers at Yale and
across the city, resulting in groundbreaking organizing victories
and the highest job standards in higher education nationwide. As
Secretary-Treasurer, Mills played a crucial role in guiding UNITE
HERE through the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining the union's
financial stability and helping it emerge stronger. She is also the
architect of the union’s political program, which was pivotal both
in defeating Trump in 2020 and fending off the “Red Wave” in 2022,
securing key electoral victories in swing states and ensuring
relief for millions of unemployed Americans during the pandemic.
Most recently, Mills’ strategic leadership in national labor
efforts has led to significant gains for hospitality workers,
including a successful multi-union coalition strike in Detroit in
2023 that resulted in historic contracts for thousands of casino
workers.
“I am thrilled that New Haven’s own Gwen Mills will become the
International Union President for UNITE HERE,” said
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). “She is the first woman to
serve as President in the union’s 130-year history, and I can think
of no one more deserving to take the reins of leadership during
this pivotal time for the national labor movement. Gwen and I have
stood side by side in countless fights for workers, from defending
local organizing efforts like Local 33 at Yale to expanding the
national labor movement by welcoming all voices–especially those
who are often marginalized like women, Black workers, people of
color, and immigrant workers. President Mills understands that the
American economy is built on a union label, and that workers are
stronger when they are united. I look forward to working with her
in her new role as President to make sure that American workers
always come first, because when workers organize together, they win
together!”
Known for her hands-on approach, Gwen has been a crucial leader
behind some of UNITE HERE's greatest wins. She has built strong
relationships with union members, always prioritizing their needs
and ensuring they receive the rights and benefits they deserve.
Under Mills’ leadership, UNITE HERE is poised to embark on a new
chapter in building the labor movement, improving the lives of
workers, and tackling corporate exploitation and profiteering
head-on.
Additionally, UNITE HERE’s new elected leadership is a true
reflection of the union’s membership, who are majority women and
people of color. Many are immigrants. In addition to Mills, the
union’s General Officers include: Secretary-Treasurer Nia Winston,
the first Black woman to serve as the union’s Secretary-Treasurer;
Recording Secretary Rich Maroko; General Vice President Wendi
Walsh; and General Vice President for Immigration, Civil Rights,
and Diversity Enrique Fernández.
UNITE HERE is the hospitality workers’ union in
the U.S. and Canada, representing nearly 275,000 workers in the
hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution,
laundry, transportation, and airport industries.
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Meghan Cohorst, 239-503-1533, mcohorst@unitehere.org