SoCal Hotel Workers Strike Looms Over Holiday Week. One Hotel Has Offered A Deal

Hotel workers in Los Angeles are on the verge of a strike that could deal 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 expire at midnight on Friday. If a deal doesn't materialize, more than 14,000 workers across L.A. and Orange counties could be striking as soon as Saturday morning.

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

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 earlier this 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.”

Deal struck by Westin Bonaventure

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

In touting the agreement, Unite Here leaders say they won "unprecedented wage increases" and strong healthcare coverage for 600 workers at the hotel. Those workers will have to vote on the contract before it's official.

"The battle now is to get the rest of the industry to agree to those same terms," said Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11. "So that's where we're headed and we're hopeful. But I don't think it's gonna come without a strike."

As of Thursday afternoon, Petersen said no negotiations were currently scheduled with the other hotels.