What UNITE HERE Local 26 does

UNITE HERE Local 26 is a regional labor union local representing hospitality workers across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with operational density concentrated in the Greater Boston area. Its membership base spans hotels (approximately 29 Boston-area properties including Hilton, Omni, and Fairmont brands), university dining halls (Harvard, Northeastern, Tufts), the Boston Convention Centers, Fenway Park, Logan International Airport food concessions, and casino properties (notably Encore Boston Harbor). The union's stated headcount was 7,000 workers as of 2014, with 4,000+ specifically in hotels as of 2013; international parent UNITE HERE represents over 250,000-300,000 workers across the U.S. and Canada. UNITE HERE was formed in July 2004 from the merger of UNITE! (Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textiles Employees) and HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees), and Local 26 operates as a chapter under that international structure.

Local 26's core activity is collective bargaining and worker representation — it negotiates wages, healthcare benefits, pensions, job security provisions (including protections in cases of hotel sales or bankruptcy), and diversity hiring initiatives. It has secured quantifiable outcomes including 4% annual wage increases in five-year contracts with 15 of 24 Boston hotels (as of 2013), diversity language in contracts covering 29 hotels, and what it describes as the most lucrative contract in its history at Northeastern University in 2022. Beyond bargaining, Local 26 operates the Best Corp Hospitality Training Center and the Mel King Empowerment Program — a workforce development pipeline for African-American hospitality workers — and administers the Hotel Health Plan healthcare fund for covered members. It is also politically active, having endorsed candidates including Mayor Wu of Boston in December 2024.

The union's revenue model is recurring membership dues paid by represented workers, with no disclosed pricing or subscription tiers in the conventional sense. Its go-to-market is community-led: it organizes through rallies, strikes, picket actions, political endorsements, and direct worker outreach, and it leverages press coverage, organic social media (X and Facebook), and alliances with student groups, religious organizations, and immigrant rights advocates. There is no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capability, and no software products; technology is explicitly characterized as not applicable to the organization's service model.

Name

UNITE HERE Local 26

Legal name

UNITE HERE Local 26

Website

https://local26.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UNITE HERE Local 26 is a labor union representing approximately 7,000+ hospitality workers across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, covering hotels, university dining halls, casinos, airports, convention centers, and sports venues, funded through member dues and focused on collective bargaining, contract negotiation, and political advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Union Dues: Labor union that represents hospitality workers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Revenue generated through membership dues from workers in hotels, restaurants, university dining halls, casinos, airports, and convention centers. The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements and advocates for worker rights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UNITE HERE Local 26 is a labor union that represents hospitality workers across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including workers at hotels, restaurants, university dining halls, casinos, airports, convention centers, and Fenway Park. The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements covering wages, healthcare benefits, pension plans, and working conditions, and provides member services such as the Best Corp Hospitality Training Center and the Hotel Health Plan.

Product overview

UNITE HERE Local 26 is a labor union representing hospitality workers in Massachusetts, not a technology product company. The organization's offerings consist of labor union membership services, including representation in collective bargaining, workplace advocacy, and member benefits. The union coordinates the Best Corp Hospitality Training Center, a workforce development program that provides hospitality industry training and job placement services. The union also administers a healthcare fund (Hotel Health Plan) for covered members. These are union services and programs, not commercial technology products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 4% annual wage increases negotiated in five-year contracts with 15 of 24 Boston hotels as of 2013
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 25coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2023Alliance with Teamsters Local 25 at Encore Boston Harbor casino workers organizing and contract negotiations. Joint strike authorization votes and rally organizing for casino workers demanding better wages and benefits.
• UNITE HERE Culinary Union Local 226 (Las Vegas)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2023Support from Las Vegas Culinary Union Local 226 at Encore Boston Harbor rally, demonstrating cross-local union solidarity for casino worker organizing.
• Boston Area Hotels (29 hotels)coreOthers · 10 September 2014Collective bargaining relationships with 29 Boston area hotels negotiating wages, benefits, and working conditions. Diversity hiring initiative established through contract negotiations.
• Best Corp Hospitality Training CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2014Training center established by Local 26 in partnership with Boston hotels to train African-American workers for hospitality jobs. Named 'Mel King Empowerment Program'.
• Harvard University DiningcoreOthersLong-standing collective bargaining relationship with Harvard University dining hall workers. UNITE HERE Local 26 has represented Harvard dining workers for years.
• Northeastern University DiningcoreOthersNortheastern University dining hall workers secured historic contract victory described as most lucrative in Local 26 history (2022).
• Tufts University DiningminorOthersTufts University dining workers engaged in organizing for higher wages and summer stipends.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SEIU (Service Employees International Union): Large labor union representing 2 million+ workers including property services, food service, and airport workers. Comparable in representing service-sector workers in shared employer sites (hotels, airports, universities) but is a broader, more general union rather than hospitality-focused.
• Teamsters Local 25: Boston-area Teamsters local with which Local 26 has an active mutual alliance, including at Encore Boston Harbor. Represented at many of the same Boston venues; comparable in political influence and in serving as a labor counterparty in hospitality and venue operations.
• UNITE HERE (International Union): Parent international union of Local 26 with 300,000+ members across hotels, gaming, food service, airports, and laundry/textile in the U.S. and Canada. Operates the same collective bargaining model on a global footprint and is the structural umbrella for Local 26's contracts and organizing campaigns.
• AFL-CIO (Boston / Massachusetts AFL-CIO): State labor federation under which Local 26 and many other Boston-area unions coordinate on political endorsements, lobbying, and community campaigns. Comparable in political organizing role and citywide coalition-building in Boston.

Direct peers

• UNITE HERE Local 11 (Los Angeles): Large UNITE HERE local covering Southern California hotels, airports, and food service. Comparable in policy priorities, multi-sector coverage, and engagement with urban hospitality markets; frequently partners with Local 26 on national strategy.
• UNITE HERE Local 100 (New York): UNITE HERE local representing New York City food service, airport, and hospitality workers. Comparable in diversification beyond hotels into airports, universities, and convention venues — directly mirroring Local 26's GTM.
• UNITE HERE Local 2 (San Francisco): Bay Area UNITE HERE local covering hotels, food service, and the San Francisco airport. Closely comparable in urban tourism-dependent membership, airport representation, and tech-cafeteria organizing targets.
• Hotel Trades Council (New York City): Multi-union local representing NYC hotel workers. Operates the same citywide, multi-employer bargaining model with major NYC hotels; matches Local 26's structure of consolidated bargaining across unionized properties.
• UNITE HERE Culinary Union Local 226: Sister UNITE HERE local representing tens of thousands of hospitality workers on the Las Vegas Strip. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and tactics; provided solidarity backing at Encore Boston Harbor rallies and is a model for localwide, multi-employer bargaining.

Regional players

• UNITE HERE Local 75: Multi-state UNITE HERE local covering Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and portions of the Midwest. Comparable in covering hotel, food service, and gaming workers across multiple states, though operating in a different geography than Local 26.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unitehere26
• Facebookfacebook.com/uniteherelocal26
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unite-here-local-26

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UNITE HERE Local 26