The front page of UNITE HERE’s Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board Website declares “We’ve got ISSUES!” ostensibly referring to initiatives the hotel and texile workers union is pursuing.

But it could just as easily refer to internal fighting among the national leadership and the confusion at UNITE HERE locals throughout the country.

UNITE, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, merged in 2004 wih HERE, the hotel and restaurant employees union.

The unions joined forces to combine UNITE’s financial position and HERE’s organizing efforts. But at least one top official has proposed unwinding the merger. Differing philosophies on organizing, communication and infrastructure can't be reconciled, critics say. 

The strife has complicated internal communication between the factions at what some consider to be the worst possible moment for a split. 

The recession is endangering the jobs of thousands of union members, and the election of President Barack Obama may provide opportunities to unions.

“This is a terrible time for internal fighting,” says Emily Rosenberg, director of the DePaul Labor Education Center at DePaul University.

But according to at least one regional state director, splitting now is better than later because today's in-fighting siphons energy from more worthwhile battles looming in the future.

“It’s just not working,” says Jaye Rykunyk, Minnesota state director of UNITE HERE. “We should be focusing our efforts on the Employee Free Choice Act and trade policies.”

Multiple attempts to reach the leadership of the Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board during the last two weeks were unsuccessful. About 34,000 workers in Chicago are represented by UNITE HERE, according to the most recently available records from the Department of Labor, with just under half of them represented by Local 1.

For Fernando Botello, a former laundry worker who has been on strike at the Congress Plaza Hotel for more than five years, the leadership squabbles haven't dampened his efforts to continue lobbying for higher wages and benefits. Botello said he and other strikers have been actively campaigning across the city to persuade local elected officials to act on their behalf. The national internal fight was news to him, he says.

"At the local level we are still counting the support of UNITE HERE," Botello says.

Rosenberg points to labor’s long and, at times, rocky past as sign that the current conflicts at UNITE HERE will pass and that whatever remains of the merger, whether UNITE and HERE return to their old selves or remain as one, the members come first.

“If you look at the history of labor, that’s the way it has always been,” Rosenberg says. It won’t be easy for members, she said, but “if the information lines are well organized at the shop floor level, they'll be confused, they'll be upset. Some people will be angry,” but “whatever happens is going to have a temporary effect.”

Anne Marie Strassel, a spokeswoman for Local 1, acknowledged that the conflict has resulted in miscommunication and tension but insisted it is not hindering local efforts on behalf of workers.

“Even though there is all this drama on the national level, we are really moving right now,” says Strassel, adding that they are actively involved in Blackstone hotel workers and keeping the Congress Hotel fight alive.

“Ultimately our goal is to improve the lives of workers, folks living in the city of Chicago,” says Strassel, adding that Local 1 operates independently from the regional joint board and its daily operations are potentially shielded by the national tensions. Ultimately, she hopes UNITE HERE will remain whole.

While it’s unclear how the possible split will affect the factions and who will cover the legal fees, Rosenberg believes the workers will still come first.

“I have great faith in the movement to heal itself,” Rosenberg says.