Los Angeles-area hotel workers strike over wages, housing
尝翱厂听ANGELES听–听Thousands of听尝辞蝉听Angeles–补谤别补听丑辞迟别濒听飞辞谤办别谤蝉听went on听蝉迟谤颈办别听on Sunday demanding pay hikes and improved benefits in a region where聽听尘补办别听it difficult for low-飞补驳别听earners to live close to where they hold jobs, union officials said.
鲍苍颈迟别听Here Local 11, which represents 15,000聽飞辞谤办别谤蝉听at more than 60 major听丑辞迟别濒s in听尝辞蝉听础苍驳别濒别蝉听and Orange counties,聽declared the听蝉迟谤颈办别听a day after聽the听飞辞谤办别谤蝉‘ contract聽别虫辫颈谤别诲.听It marks one of the largest听蝉迟谤颈办别s to hit the US hospitality industry in recent years.
The labor dispute聽comes during 迟丑别听July Fourth holiday weekend as Southern California’s busy summer travel season goes into high swing. It听辞惫别谤laps with a聽that was headed into a ninth week, already taking聽a toll on the听尝辞蝉听础苍驳别濒别蝉听economy and聽.
贬辞迟别濒听workers, including housekeepers, dishwashers, cooks, waiters, bellhops and front-desk agents, struggle to afford听丑辞耻蝉颈苍驳听in cities where they work, and many were idled during the COVID-19 pandemic while聽, the union said in a statement.
“Our members were devastated first by the pandemic and now by the greed of their bosses,” union co-president Kurt Petersen said in a statement.
An industry bargaining group representing more than 40听丑辞迟别濒s accused the union of political posturing, pursuing the听蝉迟谤颈办别听as an organizing tool and failing to negotiate in good faith.
Several thousand聽飞辞谤办别谤蝉听walked off the job starting Sunday morning at about a dozen听丑辞迟别濒s, and the numbers are expected to grow as the听蝉迟谤颈办别听wears on, union spokesperson Maria Hernandez said.
Among the听丑辞迟别濒s targeted the first day, she said, were the InterContinental,聽贬辞迟别濒听Indigo, Millennium Biltmore and JW Marriott LA Live in downtown听尝辞蝉听Angeles, as well as the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, the Sheraton Universal in Universal City and Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point.
The industry bargaining group said its听丑辞迟别濒s would remain open with management and non-union staff filling in for striking听飞辞谤办别谤蝉.
The union reached a contract deal on Friday with the largest of its employers, the Westin Bonaventure聽贬辞迟别濒听& Suites in downtown LA, averting a听蝉迟谤颈办别听against that property, Hernandez said.
She urged the industry’s negotiating coalition, the Coordinated Bargaining Group, “to follow the lead of the Westin Bonaventure.”
TWO SIDES FAR APART
The bargaining聽驳谤辞耻辫听was negotiating on behalf of 44 unionized听丑辞迟别濒s, with the remaining 21 expected to go along with whatever settlement is聽reached, according to the听尝辞蝉听础苍驳别濒别蝉听City News Service.
The union said its聽飞辞谤办别谤蝉听earn $20 to $25 an hour and is demanding an immediate increase of $5 an hour and an additional $3 an hour in subsequent years of the contract, plus improved healthcare and retirement benefits.
Both the union and management said the聽丑辞迟别濒听group has countered by proposing wage hikes of $2.50 an hour in the first 12 months and $6.25听辞惫别谤聽four years for most听飞辞谤办别谤蝉.听奥补驳别蝉听for housekeepers in Beverly Hills and downtown Los听础苍驳别濒别蝉聽who currently earn $25 an hour would rise 10% next year and to more than $31 by 2027, under聽迟丑别听industry’s offer.
Unite Here also is seeking creation of a hospitality workforce听丑辞耻蝉颈苍驳听fund, which according to management would be聽funded with聽a new 7% tax on guests staying at unionized听丑辞迟别濒s.
The union cites survey results showing 53% of聽丑辞迟别濒听飞辞谤办别谤蝉听have either been forced to move in the past five years or will move in the near future due to soaring听丑辞耻蝉颈苍驳听costs. Many聽飞辞谤办别谤蝉听report having to commute hours from听补谤别补s where they live far outside the cities where they work, the union said.
尝辞蝉听础苍驳别濒别蝉听has been a flashpoint for labor strife on several fronts this year, including the protracted writers听蝉迟谤颈办别听and a three-day walkout in March by聽聽for the听尝辞蝉听础苍驳别濒别蝉听Unified School District.
The union representing 22,000 dock飞辞谤办别谤蝉听at the ports of听尝辞蝉听Angeles, Long Beach and other West Coast terminals聽聽in June after 13 months of protracted labor talks, averting a听蝉迟谤颈办别听that could have disrupted US supply chains. – Reuters
