Politicians ask Taylor Swift to postpone L.A. shows amid hotel strike
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Taylor Swift’s towering Eras Tour has triggered a Senate hearing, the renaming of cities and a bout of seismic activity. Now, as the American leg of her tour concludes in the Los Angeles area, where thousands of hotel workers are striking for higher wages, advocates and politicians are asking for Swift’s help on the picket line.
An open letter penned last week by members of Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the striking hospitality workers, asked Swift to postpone her six sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in solidarity with the strike. On Tuesday, they were joined by dozens of local politicians, including California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, the union announced.
Postponing the shows would prevent the hotels the union is in a standoff with from cashing in on the gold rush that Swift’s concerts have generated in the cities she’s visited, union members said.
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“Hotels are doubling and tripling [prices] for her fans,” Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, told The Washington Post. “Our problem is that the hotels are going to benefit [and] have this windfall of profits, and they’re not going to share it with their workers.”
In a statement, Kounalakis said she stands with the union: “I hope we can use this moment to bring attention to the hard-working men and women who are the engine of our economy.”
A publicist for Swift did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Eras Tour is set to bring crowds of Swifties to the Los Angeles area for the six sold-out shows beginning Thursday. The spike in friendship-bracelet-brandishing visitors — arriving as the city faces several historic strikes — will boost a hospitality industry that isn’t paying its workers enough to live in the city, union members said.
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“It’s crazy, the stories,” Petersen said. “It’s easy to find someone in every hotel who lives, who commutes two hours one way to the job.”
Thousands of hotel workers began striking on July 2. They’ve since paused and resumed in waves on July 10 and July 20. Petersen previously told The Post that the union would be “strategic” to time disruptive actions while managing the union’s limited resources.
Union members first attempted to enlist Swift to their cause on July 27, publishing a version of the letter to Swift in the Los Angeles Times. Hotel workers wrote that Swift and the union have faced common foes, comparing hotels’ business practices with those of Ticketmaster in the lead-up to the Eras Tour.
“[Hotels] also add junk fees on rooms, just like Ticketmaster does,” the letter reads. “But we see none of it.”
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On Monday, union members attempted to deliver the letter to the offices of Republic Records, Swift’s record label, brandishing Swift-themed placards that read “Speak Now” and “Taylor, make this your solidarity era.”
Petersen said the union intends to begin another wave of strikes soon, which he predicted would cause disruption for fans staying in the city for the tour. The union will continue striking until a deal is reached, Petersen said. He added that he’s thinking ahead to when hotel workers will become even more crucial to the city. Even Swift’s blockbuster shows will be overshadowed by L.A.’s plans to host both the 2028 Olympics and matches in the 2026 World Cup.
“Tourism is the main driver of our economy,” Petersen said. “It has to provide for jobs that sustain families and allow people to live in the city.”
Swift has yet to respond to the union’s letter, Petersen said. But he’s hopeful for a response.
“I think she knows about it,” Petersen said. “ … Hopefully she will do the right thing.”
Source: The Washington Post
