February 23,2004

(A letter from UNITE's President Bruce Raynor)

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

At our Convention in July 2003, delegates approved the Campaign for the Future, a program to make UNITE a stronger union, better able to organize workers, bargain good contracts and gain political power.

I am very pleased to report that the UNITE GEB voted last week to move forwar with an initiative that will contribute dramatically to UNITE's power and our ability to grow. We have decided to pursue a merger with HERE, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union, and to hold a special Convention this summer to vote on the proposed merger.

I believe that this is an enormously positive development. Our two unions have much in common. We are both dynamic activist unions committed to organizing and mobilizing. Many UNITE members have supported HERE struggles. We marched with HERE at the Aladdin in Las Vegas last summer and at Yale University in the fall of 2003. HERE members have supported us in our H&M and Cintas campaigns.

HERE represents over 250,000 members who work in hotels, casinos, restaurants and food service. Like UNITE members, HERE members are very diverse- black, white, Latino, Asian including immigrants from many countries. They work in industries where, without the union, jobs are very low paid with no benefits and no respect.

Together we will represent 440.000 members and many retired members all across North America. We will be one of the largest private sector unions, with the resources to organize many new members, to mobilize in fights against powerful corporations and to defeat anti-workers politicians and elect candidates who support working families. We will have real strenght in every part of North America. Together, we can make a real difference for working people.

In Solidarity,

Bruce Raynor