Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union
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| Full name | United Voice, Industrial Union of Employees |
|---|---|
| Founded | 6 May 1910 (as the WCCU) |
| Predecessor | LHMU |
| Members | 135,654 |
| Affiliation | ACTU, ALP, IUF |
| Key people | Jo-anne Schofield, National Secretary Gary Bullock, National President Helen Gibbons, Assistant National Secretary |
| Office location | 303 Cleveland Street, Redfern, New South Wales 2016 |
| Country | Australia |
| Website | unitedvoice |
United Voice is a large Australian trade union, with over 120,000 members. United Voice members work in a wide range of occupations including hospitality, childcare, teachers' aides, aged care, property services (cleaning, security, maintenance etc.), health, manufacturing, ambulance workers (in some states) and community services. United Voice was formerly known as the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) (the "Missos").
The LMHU was formed following an amalgamation of the Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union (FMWU) and Liquor Trades Union (LTU). This merger occurred in 1992. The LHMU had 200,000 members following the amalgamation.
The union took its new name of United Voice effective 1 March 2011.
United Voice was first established in 1910 as the Watchmen, Caretakers and Cleaners Union of New South Wales (W.C.C.U.), which was created by the Organising Committee of the New South Wales Labor Council. The task of organisation was a difficult one, due to the casualised and isolated nature of the occupations covered. Under the leadership of the first Secretary of the WCCU, Joe Coote, the union adopted a pragmatic approach to increasing union membership, by including any workers not already represented by trade unions, such as paintmaking employees. To reflect the growing range of industries represented, on 15 December 1915 the union amalgamated with the Victorian Branch and changed its name to the Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union.
After steady growth over the first half of the century, including winning paid sick leave, annual leave and a forty-hour week, the union really took off in the 1950s. A new leadership led by Ray Gietzelt took over to create a vibrant, member-driven union. Famous campaigns during the 1950s and 1960s included organising workers paid to be Santa Clauses at Christmas and a group of dance instructors who were locked out for four months before winning their jobs back.
The strength of the "Missos" continued to grow over the years, with membership increasing from 25,000 in 1955 to 88,000 by 1975.
By the late 1980s, the LHMU had gained a good deal of political power. It benefited from the close links of Ray Gietzelt to ALP politicians such as Bob Hawke, Neville Wran, Lionel Murphy and his brother Arthur Gietzelt. Subsequently, though, its fortunes declined. The move of flight catering and aircraft cleaning staff to join the Transport Workers Union in the mid-1990s resulted in the LHMU losing several thousand members. In 1996 John Howard became Prime Minister, and his government worked to weaken the union movement as a whole, with the result that the LHMU lost further members between 1996 and 2007.
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