Los Angeles hotel workers pause strike but no deal reached
Listen 3 min Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share
Thousands of hotel housekeepers, receptionists and cooks in Los Angeles returned to work Wednesday after three days on strike over wages and benefits, which coincided with a July Fourth holiday weekend when thousands of visitors descended on the area for festivities and conventions. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The strike is on pause, with workers back on the job, according to Unite Here Local 11, the union representing tens of thousands of hospitality workers in Southern California. However, with no contract deal in place, workers at dozens of major Los Angeles hotels that have already authorized the strikes could walk out again at any point.
A deal is apparently still far from being reached, and the parties do not have any meetings scheduled. Relations remain tense: Upon returning to work Wednesday morning, some of the striking hotel workers were temporarily locked out by management, the union said.
Advertisement
Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, told The Washington Post that the union had chosen to strike at hotels in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica for three days to maximize disruption while being mindful of the union’s limited resources.
“The hotels have more money than we do,” Peterson said. “We have to be smarter and more strategic. But another wave of strikes is coming any moment.”
The strike brought additional problems to an already hectic weekend for the city. Hotels staffed up with hundreds of temporary workers, while union members rallied on sidewalks at daybreak with megaphones and makeshift drums. Meanwhile, cosplaying tourists came to town for the Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which typically draws more than 100,000 attendees, according to its website.
Advertisement
Some of Vice President Harris’s staffers in town this week for the holiday changed their reservations as the strike plans unfolded. A booking for about 20 Harris staffers and Secret Service agents at one of the hotels involved in the dispute was moved before the strike began, according to White House spokeswoman Kirsten Allen. Harris stayed at her residence in the city’s Brentwood neighborhood.
“To avoid the possibility of crossing the picket line, we moved hotels,” the senior White House official said.
Los Angeles hotel workers voted last month to authorize a strike, with 96 percent in favor, allowing them to walk off the job over the weekend. Petersen said the soaring cost of living in Los Angeles is a top concern for union members who commute from hours away because they cannot afford to live near their jobs.
Advertisement
A spokesman for the Hotel Association of Los Angeles said the group was not certain of the status of the strike. “We are hearing it may be ‘paused’ but we don’t know what that means,” spokesman Peter Hillan said, adding that the union has not indicated to the group that the strike has ended. “In short, however, Unite Here should come back to the bargaining table to show that it’s sincere about reaching a fair agreement.”
In addition to the wage increases, the union is bargaining for guaranteed staffing levels, automatic digital tipping and the continuation of its strong health insurance plan and pension program. Just a day before contracts expired, the largest hotel in Los Angeles, the Westin Bonaventure with a staff of about 600, came to a tentative agreement before the walkout started. Other hotels have been unable to reach a deal.
Gift this article Gift Article
Source: The Washington Post
