Following nearly three months of sporadic strikes across various hotels in Southern California, the union representing employees at the Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles announced on Friday that they have reached a tentative agreement for improved pay and benefits.
In a written statement, Unite Here Local 11 stated that once the contract is ratified, the 300 workers at the Biltmore will receive “unprecedented wage increases that keep pace with the rising cost of housing.”
The agreement also includes enhancements to healthcare, increased staffing, pension raises, and more inclusive hiring processes for formerly incarcerated individuals and unauthorized immigrants, according to union spokesperson Maria Hernandez.
“We commend the Biltmore Los Angeles for prioritizing their employees and our city,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11 in a press release by the union.
Located in the financial district, the Biltmore is the second property in Southern California to reach an agreement with the union. The first was the Westin Bonaventure, which reached a tentative deal just as contracts were set to expire on June 30, benefiting more than 15,000 hotel workers at approximately 60 properties in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
“We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement with Unite Here Local 11 on behalf of our loyal and dedicated employees,” stated Jimmy Wu, general manager of the Biltmore Los Angeles, as mentioned in the news release. “Now, we can focus all our efforts on ensuring our guests receive the exceptional service they have come to expect from the Biltmore Los Angeles.”
Unite Here Local 11 declined to provide specific details regarding wages and other economic aspects of the agreements. Unionized workers have yet to vote to ratify the Westin Bonaventure contract.
Although the Westin Bonaventure successfully avoided a strike, hotel workers at numerous other properties have been going on intermittent strikes since the Fourth of July weekend, lasting a few days each time.
The latest wave of strikes commenced on Monday when employees at five Santa Monica hotels walked off the job. On Thursday, the strike extended to properties in Beverly Hills, including the Waldorf Astoria, the Beverly Hilton, and the Fairmont Century Plaza.
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