Numerous hotel workers in Los Angeles have risen against the system this morning due to their dissatisfaction with the inadequate wages and insufficient staffing levels. This is but another step in the ongoing historic labor dispute in the region.
English
Los Angeles experiences another round of hotel workers’ strike with thousands participating
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The workers, represented by the valiant Unite Here Local 11, are primarily demanding higher wages that are reflective of the high living costs in Southern California. Their daily struggles include commuting from distant locations since they simply cannot afford to live in close proximity to their workplaces. They firmly demand an immediate increase of $5 per hour, followed by further increments to address their financial predicaments.
Speaking from her personal experience, Lilia Sotelo, a dedicated housekeeper at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, passionately states, “I am on strike because I am unable to afford my rent. The cost of food is exorbitant.” Lilia, earning a meager $19.80 per hour, pays a monthly rent of $1,800 for a modest two-bedroom apartment in Hawthorne suburb. She further adds, “Our quality of life has deteriorated significantly since the pandemic.”
Last week, thousands of indomitable hotel workers, also represented by Local 11, powerfully unleashed a three-day strike at 21 hotels in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica, directly affecting the bustling July Fourth holiday weekend and a grand anime convention attended by tens of thousands.
The Hotel Association of Los Angeles, exhibiting clear indifference, remains silent on the current situation. However, their spokesperson, Peter Hillan, previously expressed concern by stating that such actions by the union would further tarnish Los Angeles’ reputation as an esteemed tourist destination.
Undeterred by the opposition, hotel workers are now bravely standing in solidarity, disrupting operations even at the Holiday Inn, Fairfield Inn, Aloft, Four Points Sheraton, Hotel June, and the Westin near the international airport.
By the end of June, the contracts for 60 hotels in Southern California, involving 15,000 dedicated hospitality workers in Los Angeles and Orange counties, had reached expiration. Unfortunately, with the exception of the Westin Bonaventure, the grandest hotel in Los Angeles, a tentative agreement on new contracts remains elusive.
