By: Jessica Wang

On the fourth of July, thousands of hotel workers in Southern California went on strike, demanding better pay and benefits. The workers, represented by Unite Here Local 11, organized the strike because of financial struggles caused by the pandemic and the high cost of living in Los Angeles.

“All we do in hotels is work and work and get by with very little. We take care of the tourists, but no one takes care of us,” says Diana Rios-Sanchez, a housekeeping supervisor at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.

Each year, 40 to 50 million tourists visit Los Angeles. The hotel workers picked the busiest time of the year to strike: Summer. They were hoping that the strike would gain attraction, while leaving hotels in the difficult position of having to host hundreds of guests with fewer employees.

The workers are asking for an immediate increase of $5 in hourly wages for housekeepers, who currently earn between $20 and $25 per hour. They are also seeking gradual raises of $3 per year for the next three years.

Representatives of the hotels accuse workers for being unfair when bargaining for better salaries and wrong for striking during the busiest time of the year.

“The hotels want to continue to provide strong wages, affordable quality family health care and a pension,” states Keith Grossman, a spokesman for over 40 Los Angeles hotels.

While the hotels have offered pay increases to draw their workers back, the negotiations are still in progress. Until then, workers plan to keep striking for multiple days to make a profound impact.

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/02/us/los-angeles-hotel-workers-strike.html