Olivia deBree from Local 26 and Rachel Ravan from BEST Corp.

UNITE HERE Local 26 represents over 6000 employees in the Boston hospitality industry. The membership comes from nearly every country in the world and speaks over 85 languages and dialects. The vast majority of hotel workers are new immigrants with a diverse range of languages, educational accomplishments, and customs. English language competency is a serious challenge for the hotel employers and the immigrant labor pool that works or seeks employment in the hotel industry.

In 1985, HERE Local 26 (now UNITE HERE Local 26) began offering ESOL classes in response to the changing demographics of the hotel and restaurant industry and the need for classes as articulated by the membership. Based on the success of this pilot (funded by a $50,000 challenge grant from the city of Boston), Local 26 and the GBHE Trust established an employer-funded labor/management education trust fund. The Education Program was institutionalized and offerings grew to include GED, adult basic literacy, computer and citizenship classes, as well as ESOL. In the last twenty years, hundreds of Local 26 members have taken advantage of the educational services offered through the Greater Boston Hotel Employees Trust Fund.

For more on UNITE HERE Local 26, go to their website: www.bostonhotelunion.org.