John W. Wilhelm

John W. Wilhelm is the General President of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) International Union. He was elected to this position effective August 1, 1998. Prior to his election as President, he had served HERE in the position of General Secretary-Treasurer since 1996. He has been employed by that Union or its Local Unions since December 1969. HERE represents 75,000 casino employees, more than any other union.

For the past ten years, Wilhelm has been the chief negotiator for the union's 45,000-member local in Las Vegas. Most of the union's Nevada and New Jersey members are employees of casinos and hotels.

Wilhelm graduated from Yale College, 1967, Phi Beta Kappa, with high honors. After graduating from Yale, Wilhelm was actively involved with HERE's Local Unions in Connecticut, serving as a business manager, a trustee, an organizing coordinator, and chief negotiator.

In 1982, Wilhelm was named the International Vice President of HERE, a position he filled for the next 14 years. He has served as Trustee of HERE's Welfare/Pension Funds and the Southern Nevada Culinary and Bartenders Pension Fund.

Among his assignments with HERE, Wilhelm has served as Chief Negotiator for the city-wide hotel contracts in Boston in 1982 and 1985; San Francisco in 1986; Los Angeles in 1988 and 1992; Las Vegas in 1989, 1994 and 1997; Yale University in 1982, 1984 and 1987; along with numerous smaller contracts.

Wilhelm has been married to Elizabeth B. Gilbertson since 1969. They are the parents of two sons.