UNITE HERE General President Bruce Raynor Suspended from Union

April 21  Press Release from UNITE HERE International Union

Chicago – Today, the General Executive Board of UNITE HERE met in Chicago and voted to suspend the General President, Bruce Raynor. The suspension comes as a result of President Raynor’s attempts to divide the union as well as promote SEIU as a competing labor organization within UNITE HERE’s jurisdiction. The vote margin was 32 in favor of suspension, 0 against, with 3 abstentions.

The UNITE HERE General Executive Board, which is the Union’s highest governing authority between conventions, voted to take harsh action against its General President because of his actions violating the Union’s Constitution. Actions have included trying to remove the International Union from control of the Amalgamated Bank, the Union’s pension and benefits funds, and the Union’s building in New York City, as well as fostering the illegal secession of joint boards from the Union.

The General Executive Board took two actions against President Raynor.

First, the Board named Executive Vice-President Henry Tamarin of Chicago as the hearing officer for the extensive charges filed against Raynor.  The hearing officer will make recommendations which could lead to penalties up to and including permanent expulsion.

Second, the Board voted to suspend Raynor for up to 90 days while the charges are being processed, as provided by the UNITE HERE Constitution.  The Board also delegated to John Wilhelm, the Union’s Co-President, the authority to decide when the suspension will begin, depending on Raynor’s degree of cooperation within the next several days on transitional administrative matters.

In other action taken by the General Executive Board, Pittsburgh Local 57 and Baltimore Local 7 were both affirmed in their membership decisions to remain in UNITE HERE, Bruce Raynor was replaced by John Wilhelm as UNITE HERE’s representative on the Change to Win Leadership Council, and trusteeship hearings were voted for failure to represent at Local 431 Albany and vote fraud at Local 274 Philadelphia.