Dozens of employees, including cooks, room attendants, and dishwashers from the LA Grand Hotel, represented by the hospitality union Unite Here Local 11, staged a walkout and picketed outside Los Angeles City Hall. Their demands centred on workplace protections and higher wages. They urged the city to bolster security at the hotel, which is accommodating individuals experiencing homelessness through the Inside Safe program.
The strike marks the latest in a series of union activities across Southern California since the commencement of the region’s largest multihotel strike in July. Workers at the LA Grand Hotel pressed the city to address the challenges they face, emphasizing the need for improved working conditions and safety measures.
Unite Here President Kurt Petersen underscored the workers’ long-standing appeals to the city and the hotel management for better protection against hazardous working conditions and violence during protests.
Additionally, the workers highlighted the necessity for increased staffing to accommodate participants of the Inside Safe program, who often require extended stays and additional support due to heavier workloads, as stated by Ana Pineda, a housekeeper at the LA Grand Hotel.
Unite Here has backed the Los Angeles Responsible Hotels Ordinance, which proposes that hotels house individuals experiencing homelessness in their vacant rooms, despite concerns from industry leaders regarding potential risks to hotel workers.
The LA Grand Hotel workers advocated for an increase in the city’s minimum wage, currently at $16.90, to align with LA’s escalating living costs. Their demands also included access to quality, affordable health insurance, retirement pensions, and reasonable workloads.
Numerous Southern California workers have pursued similar contract terms since the onset of the region’s largest multihotel strike. While 34 tentative contract agreements have been reached across Los Angeles and Orange County, several hotels, including the Hyatt Regency LAX, are still embroiled in labour disputes. Despite its union ties, the Hyatt Regency LAX has yet to reach a contract agreement, contrary to earlier expectations.
