(NEW YORK CITY) – 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.

Mills’ 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.

"I am deeply honored to lead UNITE HERE into a new era," Mills said. "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 National 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 Non-Union 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.

UNITE HERE says there are 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 Co-Workers to turn out voters to elect officials who will fight for Workers and support their ability to organize, as well as support legislation that improves jobs in the Hospitality Industry.

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