Thousands of hotel employees in the Los Angeles area have resumed their duties after a three-day strike, but union leaders have cautioned that further walkouts may be on the horizon. This hotel strike is part of a larger wave of labor actions occurring in California, which labor leaders have dubbed a “hot labor summer.”
Throughout the year, various groups of workers, including hotel employees, school staff, Hollywood writers, and dockworkers, have taken to picket lines, highlighting the challenges they face in affording their rent due to soaring living costs and stagnant wages. However, business groups argue that burdening employers with the responsibility of California’s housing crisis, particularly in areas like Los Angeles, is unjust.
The recent hotel workers’ strike involved thousands of employees from 19 hotels and coincided with an extended weekend leading up to the Fourth of July holiday. Members of Unite Here Local 11, representing approximately 15,000 hotel workers in Southern California, authorized the strike as their contract neared expiration. While initial picketers have returned to work, union leaders anticipate additional waves of strikes involving thousands more members across approximately 60 hotels.
Unite Here Local 11 seeks multiple raises over a three-year period. They are pushing for an immediate $5 increase in hourly wages, currently ranging from $20 to $25 for housekeepers, followed by a $3 increase in each subsequent year. Union leaders argue that such raises are necessary to cope with the high living costs in Los Angeles, where housing is scarce and expensive. Additionally, the union has proposed a 7 percent fee on hotel guests to help finance worker housing.
Hotel officials have accused the union of prioritizing political statements over reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. They have offered to increase wages to over $31 per hour, up from $25, by January 2027 in Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles. The group has also filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that some of the union’s demands, including the 7 percent fee, are unlawful and beyond the scope of contract negotiations.
Looking ahead, union leaders have indicated that workers at each hotel will decide whether to engage in future walkouts. In the meantime, picketing will continue outside hotels, with the hope that travelers and event planners will choose to avoid properties involved in the ongoing labor dispute. Hotel industry officials express concern that these protests could harm Southern California’s reputation as a destination, ultimately impacting hotel owners, operators, and their employees in the long run.
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