The Militant - April 9, 2001 -- Workers at Royal laundry win union drive

Vol.65/No.14 April 9, 2001

Workers at Royal laundry win union drive

BY MICHAEL ITALIE
MIAMI--Five hundred laundry workers gained union recognition in mid-March, after a months-long campaign at Royal Linen industrial laundry. The company agreed to recognize the United Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE) at plants in Miami, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles after the union turned in authorization cards signed by a big majority of workers. Laundry workers at Royal Linen in New York had already won recognition. Workers at the laundries clean blankets and other linens for American Airlines.

This victory comes on the heels of others won by laundry workers over the last year, including a successful strike for union recognition at Five Star Linen in Chicago and a militant strike for a contract at Tartan Textile in Pompano Beach, Florida. UNITE has reached a tentative contract agreement with Royal Linen, and a vote on the contract is expected in the next weeks.

Michael Italie is a garment worker. Lisa Potash, a member of UNITE in Chicago, contributed to the article.

Related article:
Sewing shop strikers in Los Angeles win new support

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