SoCal Hotel Workers Go On Strike

Thousands of hotel workers in Los Angeles have walked off the job, potentially dealing a major blow to the city's tourism industry.

Contracts between UNITE HERE Local 11 and 61 hotels including the Beverly Hilton and Ritz Carlton expired at midnight on Friday.

Maria Hernandez, a representative from the union, told LAist that workers are picketing at multiple hotels, including the InterContinental Los Angeles in downtown.

“It's really about making sure that the workers here get what they deserve," Hernandez told LAist.com. "It's a huge weekend this weekend. There's Fourth of July, there's [the] Anime Expo happening here in downtown L.A., and so folks are fed up and, and they're ready and they're willing to fight for as long as it takes.”

At the protests

Jackie Reynoso works as a kitchen steward at the InterContinental.

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Aaricka Washington

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LAist

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Jackeline Reynoso was among those picketing in downtown Los Angeles since early Sunday morning.

"I don't know how long the strike is going to take, but I feel like as united as we can get, I think our objective will be achieved faster," said Reynoso, a kitchen steward at the InterContinental.

Among those objectives are better wages, long-term benefits and improving medical insurance. For Reynoso, a single mom, the strike can carry different kinds of lessons.

"It brings a lot of values to our kids ... we believe it's OK to fight for what we deserve," she said. "That's why I brought my child with me today."

Jose Zuniga, who works at the InterContinental as well as the Fairmont in Century City, said like many of those on strike, he was seeking better wages to help compensate for the pressures of inflation.

"Every year it gets more expensive to live in L.A. ... it's super hard when you have to pay rent, when you have to pay gas, especially rent in L.A. is just ... tremendous," he said, adding that he's uncertain about how long the strike could last.

"I don't know, they're saying three days," he said. "I'm getting ready for however long it takes."

What's at issue

The unionized housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents, servers and food service workers want an immediate $5 an hour raise with raises totaling $11 over three years.

Other asks include affordable health care and manageable staffing workloads.

“Eighty-five percent of my income goes to rent because I just moved to L.A.," said Cristina Betancourt, who works as a housekeeper at the Ritz Carlton Downtown. "It's really hard to even find a place in L.A. that you can afford on one income."

What the hotel industry says

Keith Grossman, a spokesman for the coordinated bargaining group consisting of more than 40 Los Angeles and Orange County hotels, sent LAist.com a statement this morning.

“We are aware that some of the associates at several downtown and Westside hotels are engaging in a work stoppage. This activity was expected. We are fully prepared to continue to operate these hotels and to take care of our guests as long as the disruption last," the statement reads.

"We also remain available to meet with the union whenever its leaders decide to make themselves available to resume negotiations.”

As workers threaten to strike over more livable wages, the hotel industry says elected officials should be held accountable for the skyrocketing cost of housing, not them.

Hotel employers, including Hyatt, Hilton, Highgate, Accor, IHG, and Marriott have been negotiating with the union since April 20.

“Nobody can afford housing in L.A.,” Pete Hillan, spokesperson for the Hotel Association of Los Angeles, an industry trade group, told LAist last month. “Teachers, nurses, construction workers — and think about city workers."

He called the high cost of rent a universal issue that really is up to the city leaders to resolve.

He also said hotels often pay “well above what is reported,” but was unable to provide member data on what the average hotel worker earns in L.A., saying wages “varied by hotel.”

One hotel — the Westin Bonaventure in Downtown L.A. — made a tentative deal with the union Thursday, averting a strike there.