Unite Here Local 217

The union is an organization of workers who unite to fight for fairness and respect on the job. It is based on the simple idea that people standing together are more powerful than each single person fighting alone. Unions win when our members stand together regardless of race, religion, language, gender, political beliefs, sexual orientation or disability. The strength of our union and our union contracts depend on all of us sticking together and fighting for what we deserve.

UNITE HERE Local 217 is the union of hotel and food service workers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Local 217 has represented workers in southern New England since 1902. We began in New Haven and then grew to include Hartford, Eastern Connecticut, Fairfield County (CT) and Rhode Island. The union has been able to grow because it is committed to organizing workers who have no union.

Local 217 members are cooks and bartenders, room attendants and custodians, waiters and waitresses, food service workers and casino and gaming workers. We work in school and university cafeterias, convention centers, airports and hotels.

Our union is dedicated to fighting for social equality in all forms: political, economic, racial, gender, etc. We strive to organize all working people to stand together to fight collectively in this pursuit, inside and outside of the workplace.