By: Ethan Pi
Just a couple of days before the celebration of the Fourth of July holiday, thousands of hotel workers across Southern California assembled on July 2nd, 2023. These workers weren’t watching fireworks or going on a tour; they were walking out of their jobs that Sunday demanding higher pay.
What makes this strike so monumental and hard-hitting is that it takes place in the nation’s second-largest metropolis, Los Angeles, where people have found it tough to take care of themselves or make ends meet. And the hotel employees weren’t protesting for no reason at all; many couldn’t afford to pay the rent or bills while many others suffered severe homelessness.
“I have to live with a roommate, because for myself, I can’t afford,” the 56-year-old housekeeper at L.A. Grand Hotel, Graciela Lira, said. “Gas is so expensive. I have to pay for parking.”
“All we do everyday in hotels is work and work and get by with very little,” Ms. Diana-Rios-Sanchez, housekeeping supervisor at InterContinental, said. “We take care of the tourists, but no one takes care of us.”
The hotels did attempt to offer a 10% hourly pay increase in the first 12 months, and further increases in subsequent years. According to lawyer Keith Grossman, the workers would earn more than $31 an hour by 2027.
However, the union still argues that hotels can afford to pay their workers more for what they do.
The union had negotiated with hotels since April 2023 for a new contract. In June, the Union’s members approved for a strike.
“They’re making more money now than they were before the pandemic,” Maria Hernandez, the organizer with UNITE HERE Local 11, said. She also brought up the billions in pandemic bailout money that hotels received.
Even if a strike may sound necessary, it could come to a sticky end. The strikes that occurred on Sunday have forced hotels to limit their services. Guests at the InterContinental in downtown Los Angeles have complained about receiving partial room cleanings, and the biggest hotel in the city has paused in-room dining.
“The strike is premature and pretty injurious even to its own members, who are losing out on pay.” Peter Hillan, spokesman for the Hotel Association of Los Angeles, said.
It’s quite awkward to see a horde of workers lining up in Southern California on the weekend before July the 4th. However, the hotel workers have known about Fourth of July freedom for a long time and are leading the fight for justice. While the workers do rise to their feet for a healthy future, this strike could prove to be powerful or even uncontrollable. At the end of the day, it’s a small change that’s big for everyone.