Workers United
| Founded | March 24, 2009 |
|---|---|
| Members | 85,965 (2013) |
| Affiliation | SEIU (CtW), CLC |
| Key people | Bruce Raynor, General President |
| Country | United States, Canada |
| Website | workers-united |
Workers United is an American and Canadian union which represents about 85,000 workers in the textile, commercial laundry, pharmaceutical, and gaming industries.
After a lengthy and divisive internal leadership struggle within UNITE HERE, the union's then-president Bruce Raynor led 100,000 members of the union's membership (primarily in its apparel division) in disaffiliating from the national union on March 24, 2009, formed a new union called Workers United, and affiliated the union with Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The first president of the new union was Edgar Romney, a former UNITE HERE elected official. On May 30, Bruce Raynor resigned as president of UNITE HERE, Romney resigned as president of Workers United, and Raynor was named Romney's successor.
In May 2009, the New York Daily News reported that Workers United was running a deficit of $300,000 a month, the deficit was expected to widen, that SEIU had loaned the union $1 million to shore up its finances, and that Workers United was considering asking SEIU for $1.3 million a month and suspension of all dues payments in order to keep Workers United solvent. The media later reported that an internal Workers United memo admitted that membership was closer to 100,000 than 150,000 and that membership was falling as employers refused to honor contracts with the union. An SEIU official confirmed that the loan had been made. However, on July 9, 2009, the National Labor Relations Board held that Workers United was the bargaining agent for contracts at five major employers (Continental Linen Services, Premair of Cleveland, Gateway Packaging Co., Associated Hotels Duluth, and American Etc. Inc. d/b/a Royal Laundry).
Workers United won a significant organizing victory in the U.S. apparel manufacturing industry in July 2010. The workers, with the support of state politicians and Hollywood stars, the workers won a contract and successfully pressured the employer to keep the plant open.
...
Wikipedia