Workers at major hotels in Southern California set to strike over holiday weekend

Originally Published: 30 JUN 23 18:20 ET
By Chris Isidore, CNN

New York (CNN) — A union representing 15,000 workers at 65 major hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties are set to go on strike early Saturday in a push for significantly improved wages.

The current labor contract expires at 12:01 am PDT Saturday. Among the hotels that set to be struck either overnight or early Saturday are the Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott LA Live, Beverly Hilton, Fairmont Miramar, Anaheim Hilton, and Four Seasons Regent Beverly Wilshire, the setting for the movie “Pretty Woman.”

A person familiar with management plans said the hotels expect to stay open even if there is a strike, using management staff from the struck hotels and from other nonunion properties to fill in. They are also expecting many of the strikers to return to work on Monday, when they will be eligible for a holiday pay premium, and for the union to then stage spot strikes at different hotels going forward.

In 2023, hotel profits in Los Angeles and Orange County exceeded pre-pandemic levels according to Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the workers. But the union said hospitality workers continue to struggle to afford a place to live in the cities where they work. The union said in a survey of members, 53% said that they either have moved in the past five years or will move in the near future because of soaring housing costs.

Hotel workers priced out of LA

“Hotel workers who work in the booming Los Angeles’ tourism industry must be able to live in Los Angeles,” said union Co-President Kurt Petersen. He said the 96% support in favor a strike in a vote earlier this month “sends a clear message to the industry that workers have reached their limit and are prepared to strike to secure a living wage.”

The union said workers are paid between $20 to $25 an hour and the union is demanding an immediate $5 an hour wage increase, which would represent an immediate 20% to 25% raise. It also wants $3 an hour wage increases in subsequent years of the contract, as well as improved health care and retirement benefits.

One hotel, the Westin Bonaventure hotel, has already reached a tentative labor deal with the union and will not be struck. But there is a management group, the Coordinated Bargaining Group, which is negotiating on behalf of 44 of the 65 unionized hotels which are due to be struck on Saturday. The other 21 hotels basically follow the contracts that are reached at the other 44 hotels.

Management said it had offered a $2.50 an hour raise, which would represent a 10% wage increase for most workers, and a total of $6.25 an hour more over the four years of the proposed contract.

Short-term strikes

“If there is a strike, it will occur because the union is determined to have one,” said management. “The hotels want to continue to provide strong wages, affordable quality family healthcare and a pension. The Union should accept our offer to return to the bargaining table immediately and work with us to reach agreement on a new contract that would benefit our employees and the City and County of Los Angeles and Orange County.”

Short-term strikes, rather than open-ended strikes that continue until a labor dispute is concluded, are an increasing common tactic being used by unions. With lower-paid workers who might not be able to miss working and being paid for an extended period, the limited-duration strikes can be effective. The union would not confirm plans to have strikers return to work on Monday.

“Workers are ready to strike until they get what they are asking for,” said union spokesperson Maria Hernandez.

The strike could also be starting at the same time members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), are poised to start a strike against major film studios and streaming services. While that union has about 160,000 members nationwide, many are based in Southern California.

Besides the increased bookings that might come from this being a four-day holiday weekend, the strike comes at a time of a major convention being held in the city, the Los Angeles Anime Expo, which is already sold out.

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