As hotel workers in Los Angeles struck for a second day Monday — and with thousands more workers poised to join them in what could be the biggest hotel-industry strike in years — the hotels and the union representing the workers appear to be nowhere close to reaching an agreement.
Unite Here Local 11, which represents the workers, says the strike could affect 15,000 workers — or about half of its total membership in Southern California and Arizona. The union also is asking for safer workloads, after more than 100,000 hotel housekeeping jobs have been eliminated since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manzo, a single mother of three kids, said she “would love to work five days so I don’t struggle” financially. She said she is counting on a new contract and a raise, adding that “it’s really hard to try to find another job because we are on call” and must be available for any shifts the hotel offers.The biggest hotel represented by the union in the area, Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles, reached a tentative agreement with the union last week.
Keith Grossman, a lawyer representing 44 hotels that have yet to reach a deal with the union, accused the union of canceling a scheduled bargaining meeting. “The union has not budged from its opening demand two months ago,” Grossman said in a statement. “We also remain available to meet with the union whenever its leaders decide to make themselves available to resume negotiations.”
“Housing for all Angelenos is the No. 1, 2 and 3 concern,” Petersen said, adding that hotels impose other fees but customers don’t know where those are going. “We want to get wages up. The other part is supply.”