On Sunday, July 2, workers at numerous prominent hotels in Southern California initiated a strike, forming picket lines to advocate for higher wages and improved health care and retirement benefits.
At 6:01 a.m. Sunday, Unite Here Local 11 tweeted, “BREAKING: Southern California hotel workers are ON STRIKE! Thousands walked off the job at properties across DTLA & Santa Monica. Dozens more properties remain without a Union contract.”
In support of the strike, workers were seen picketing on Sunday morning at various locations, such as the InterContinental, JW Marriott LA Live, Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Hotel Figueroa, Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica, Viceroy Santa Monica, Fairmont Miramar Hotel, Sheraton Universal Hotel, DoubleTree Los Angeles, and Laguna Cliffs in Dana Point.
Workers at the DoubleTree Los Angeles are joining the fun ON STRIKE with thousands of their UNITE HERE Local 11 siblings. #SoCalHotelStrike pic.twitter.com/gVxlIYMmWk
— UNITE HERE Local 11 (@UNITEHERE11) July 2, 2023
The union, which represents around 15,000 workers at 65 major hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties, had previously stated in an Instagram post that their members “could strike at any moment” during the Independence Day weekend.
The contract between the hotels and Unite Here Local 11 expired at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, while the union had already reached an agreement on Wednesday night with its largest employer, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles.
However, contract agreements are still pending with the remaining hotels.
Hotel officials have assured reporters that their establishments will remain open, with management and nonunion staff stepping in to fill the roles if the strike materializes.
On June 8, 96% of the union’s members voted in favor of authorizing a strike, potentially leading to one of the largest hotel worker strikes in the country.
Union officials highlighted that a recent survey among their members revealed that 53% of them have either already moved or plan to move due to the soaring housing costs in the Los Angeles area.
According to the union, their members currently earn between $20 and $25 per hour. Negotiators are requesting an immediate $5-per-hour raise and an additional $3 per hour annually over the course of the contract, along with improvements in health care and retirement benefits.
While the Westin contract has been settled, the Coordinated Bargaining Group is negotiating on behalf of 44 other unionized hotels. The remaining 21 hotels would follow the same agreement.
15,000 Southern California hotel workers vote to authorize a strike
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