Longtime union activist Kurt Petersen joins us to discuss how he finds common ground, the values that guide him, and his perspective on the Los Angeles of the future.
Date and Time
Tuesday, November 17, 9:45 am
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About the Series
More Than Just Talk is a new dialogue series at the Skirball Cultural Center featuring President and CEO Jessie Kornberg in candid, action-oriented conversation with some of Los Angeles' most compelling and innovative thought leaders.
About Kurt Petersen
Kurt Petersen is a Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents 35,000 hotel and food service workers in Southern California and Arizona. Kurt studied Theology/Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and attended Yale Law School. Kurt went on to win the first union contract for farm workers in Washington state history at Chateau Ste Michelle winery with the United Farm Workers. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1995, Kurt has organized more than 25,000 workers into UNITE HERE. Most recently, Kurt led the largest hotel strike in the nation’s history, and won a life changing contract with 50% wage increases. Local 11’s hotel and stadium contracts will expire in January 2028, months before the Olympics. Kurt along with his Co-Presidents Ada Briceno and Susan Minato were recently named in the Los Angeles Times 2024 LA Influential list.
Donor Support
The More Than Just Talk series is presented by the Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation in partnership with the Skirball Cultural Center.
