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David J. Taylor, commonly known as D. Taylor, is an American labor leader and the current President of UNITE HERE, a prominent labor union representing over 300,000 workers in the hospitality, gaming, food service, manufacturing, and airport sectors across the United States and Canada. He also serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the union. Taylor assumed the presidency on June 5, 2019, succeeding John W. Wilhelm, after serving as Secretary-Treasurer since 2004. Prior to these roles, his career in the labor movement began in the 1980s as a bartender in New York City, where he joined the Hotel Trades Council (now part of UNITE HERE), and he later served as International Vice President for Canada at UNITE HERE and an organizer and leader at HERE Local 75 in Toronto, Canada, building his reputation in labor organizing within the hospitality industry. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a key negotiator in collective bargaining and political organizing, and played a pivotal role in the 2004 merger that formed UNITE HERE from the Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE) and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE).
Under his leadership, UNITE HERE has emphasized aggressive organizing campaigns, including major strikes against hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton and in Las Vegas casinos, nationwide hotel worker mobilizations, and contract negotiations for better wages, benefits, healthcare, and working conditions amid challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated the hospitality industry. The union has positioned itself as a key player in progressive economic policy through advocacy for workers' rights, immigration reform, paid leave initiatives, and cross-border solidarity between U.S. and Canadian workers. Taylor has forged alliances with Democratic politicians, supported Democratic candidates and causes, and coordinated against casino industry figures such as Miriam Adelson in disputes over gaming worker rights. He is known for his strategic approach to union growth, outspoken criticism of corporate practices in the hospitality sector, and efforts to expand membership and influence policy at local, state, and federal levels.
Based in New York, Taylor continues to lead UNITE HERE's initiatives, earning recognition as an influential figure in American labor, though his work has drawn scrutiny from business interests opposed to unionization drives.