Hundreds of hotel workers have gone on strike in Los Angeles in a dispute over pay rates with many organising picket lines. According to the local union, Unite Here Local 11 staff initially voted on 8th June authorizing strike action in a battle over pay. The Union is calling for a wage increase that keeps pace with rising housing costs in the Southern California area.
Reception / front desk agents, bellboys, room attendants, cooks, waiting staff and dishwashers from the following hotels have taken action
Hilton Anaheim
Sheraton Park at the Anaheim Resort
Hilton Irvine/Orange County Airport
Holiday Inn Los Angeles - LAX Airport
Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport
Conrad
Fairfield Inn & Suites Los Angeles LAX/El Segundo
Aloft El Segundo Los Angeles Airport
Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
Westin Los Angeles Airport
Hotel June
Hilton Garden Inn LAX El Segundo
Beverly Hilton
The union says that scores of staff at other hotels could strike at any moment and the dispute is set to escalate with more action planned. Recently one of Los Angeles’ biggest hotels, the Westin Bonaventure, agreed to the wage increases that workers need to be able to afford to live in the area.
Last week Kurt Petersen, Co-President of Unite Here Local 11, said “This walkout was the first of many actions that may come this summer by workers at hotels across Southern California, and it is only one tool in our toolbox. We have put the industry on notice that the workers have suffered enough.”
