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Maria Hernandez, Communications
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Some of the following press releases have been shortened and edited to avoid redundancy.

High resolution photos are available upon request.

BREAKING NEWS: VICTORY: Workers at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center Ratify Life-Changing 3-Year Agreement

Contract includes $12 an hour raise and protections on subcontracting

Long Beach, CA:  UNITE HERE Local 11 members at the  city-owned Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center have overwhelmingly ratified a historic agreement with the LBCEC operator, ASM Global.

“The improvements we won in our contract will help me pay my rent and feed my family. I will be able to take my kids out and enjoy time with my family without worrying about money,” said Jeanelle Cooper, concessions worker of 9 years at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

Included in the new agreement are:

  • Enormous wage increases totaling $12 an hour over the three-year agreement. Some workers will see a 65% raise!
  • Free family health insurance.
  • A 400% increase in pension contributions.
  • Strong protections to prevent the exploitation of subcontracted workers, a key sticking point in the negotiations.
  • Extension of contract to soon to be developed amphitheater, Long Beach Bowl.
  • Olympic Expiration Date:  January 15, 2028.  The workers will join 20,000 members whose contracts expire on the eve of the 2028 Olympics.  The LBCEC is scheduled to host events handball, and swimming.

In addition to the life changing wages and benefits, ASM Global also agreed to offer employment to all workers at the temporary staffing agency, 1Fifty1, which was the subject of allegations of potential wage theft which are being investigated by the California Labor Commissioner. ASM Global canceled its contract with 1Fifty1 temporary agency after workers came forward with these allegations. ASM Global has now offered employment to more than 25 former 1Fifty1 workers.  These workers will see their wages increase by 80% during the term of the contract.

“This wasn’t an easy contract to win,” says Andrea Romero, cook of 12 years at the Long Beach Convention & Event Center. “My coworkers and I didn’t have a choice, though. We won fair pay for the hard work that we do and the way we help the tourism industry prosper in Long Beach.”

“Solidarity was the key to this victory. Our members again showed extraordinary courage and unity—they refused to settle until the workers exploited by the temporary agency 1Fifty1 won justice. Now, those workers have the right to permanent jobs and will be covered by this extraordinary contract,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11.

Workers at The Original Pantry comfort each other on the last day of restaurant operations after 100 years.

The Original Pantry Cafe Workers Refuse to Be Thrown Out on The Street

Steadfast after closure, workers at The Original Pantry say the fight for the restaurant’s future is not over

Community members protest the closure of LA icon The Original Pantry

The Original Pantry Café closed its doors for the last time at 5 PM yesterday,  according to the entity that controls the restaurant. But long-time workers are seeking further talks with the Richard J. Riordan Trust, the entity that decided to close the restaurant, in an ongoing effort to keep the L.A. icon open under new ownership.

Last night, after workers wiped down the tables and mopped the floors, they gathered in the restaurant’s historic dining room while still in uniform and asked to speak with a representative from the Trust. Trust representatives refused to speak with the workers and instead called the police on The Pantry’s employees.

Under threat of arrest, workers exited the restaurant peacefully at 7 PM to the cheers and applause of supporters rallying outside. The LAPD briefly detained and cited UNITE HERE Local 11 co-president Kurt Petersen.

“Mayor Riordan’s heirs and the trustees of his estate have chosen to discard these workers in a shameless move straight out of Elon Musk’s playbook,” said Petersen. “I think the late mayor would be appalled at the greed on display.”

In negotiations with UNITE HERE Local 11, the union that represents the workers, The Pantry gave its employees an ultimatum: The restaurant will shut down and fire all workers unless workers give up their demand for job security and continued union representation when the restaurant changes hands.

The Original Pantry worker Mary G speaks to the media on the last day of operations at the restaurant

Maricela Granados, a 26-year server known by her long-time customers as Mary G., said as she left the restaurant, “I didn’t believe they would really close and kick us all out. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next, but I won’t stop fighting for the Pantry.”

Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice have launched a GoFundMe for the fired workers.

 

PRESS ADVISORY: LA Councilmember Curren Price, State Senators Durazo, Smallwood Cuevas and More Rally to Save Original Pantry Cafe Jobs Ahead of Riordan Trust’s Threat to Close Sunday Inbox

Los Angeles: Political leaders like Los Angeles Councilmember Curren Price, State Senator Lola Smallwood Cuevas, and others plan to rally alongside Pantry workers to urge the Richard J. Riordan Trust to resolve the labor dispute and pull back from its decision to close the Pantry.

Earlier this week, the Original Pantry workers and the union representing them, UNITE HERE Local 11, met with The Richard J. Riordan Trust, who since Mr. Riordan’s passing in 2023, has assumed control of the historic restaurant.

 The Richard J. Riordan Trust continues to be set on its intention to close the restaurant on Sunday, March 2nd at 5pm. In negotiations, The Pantry reasserted its ultimatum to employees: The restaurant will shut down and fire all workers unless workers give up their demand for job security and continued union representation when the restaurant changes hands.

The Pantry threatened to close the restaurant despite the over one hundred letters from customers urging the Trust to keep the restaurant open.

In spite of The Pantry’s threat, workers remain committed to saving their jobs, keeping their union, and maintaining the 100-year old institution open.

Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and the community plans to have an Ash Wednesday action on March 5th between 7am-8am to gather and pray outside the Pantry, workers encourage the community to attend.

BREAKING: Outraged Without A Deal To Protect Union Jobs, Original Pantry Cafe Workers Vow to Keep Fighting Ahead of Sunday Closure Threat by Riordan Trust

Trust’s Decision to Close Undermines Democratic Process to Negotiate a Fair Deal, say Workers

Los Angeles: Last night, the Original Pantry workers and union representing them, UNITE HERE Local 11, met with The Richard J. Riordan Trust, who since Mr. Riordan’s passing in 2023, has assumed control of the historic restaurant.

The Richard J. Riordan Trust remains set on its intention that the restaurant be closed on Sunday March 2nd at 5pm. The Pantry is demanding that, in order to avoid the closure and loss of workers’ jobs, workers must give up their demand for job security and continued union representation if the restaurant changes hands.

It is a shame not only to Los Angeles and the millions of customers and families this restaurant has served that the Trust refuses to save this place and protect the jobs of the workers who have given their lives.

Before negotiations hundreds of community members, neighbors and organizations like UTLA, ACCE, CLUE, California Poor Peoples Campaign, Catholic Worker Center, DSA Los Angeles, LAANE, SEIU, and Councilmember Curren Price showed up to show support for the workers and let the Trust know they back the workers and their calls for justice. Over a hundred letters of support by customers were delivered to the representatives of the Trust during negotiations. Workers are committed to saving their jobs, keeping their union and the 100-year old institution open. Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and the community plans to have an Ash Wednesday action on March 5th between 7am-8am to gather and pray outside the Pantry, workers encourage the community to attend.

Community Rallies Around The Original Pantry Cafe, Host Dine-In to Save Worker Jobs!

Beloved institution formerly owned by Richard Riordan under closure threat by trust that controls the late mayor’s estate

Los Angeles: Dozens of community leaders and neighbors plan to hold a Dine-In at the Original Pantry Cafe. The upsurge in community support to save the Pantry and good union jobs comes after last week dozens of workers of the historic landmark picketed the iconic institution formerly owned by Mayor Richard Riordan. Since his passing in 2023, The Richard J. Riordan Trust has exercised control over the restaurant, which has been designated an LA Historic-Cultural Monument.  The Trust has announced its intention that the restaurant be closed.  The Pantry is demanding that, in order to avoid the closure and loss of workers’ jobs, workers must give up their demand for job security and continued union representation if the restaurant changes hands.

Community leaders plan to come together on the same day the Trust is set to resume negotiations with the union and workers. Their hope is to send a strong message to the owners in hope that they will agree to a fair contract and job protections.

The union representing the workers, UNITE HERE Local 11, has filed a pending unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that the threatened closure violates federal labor law. Workers at this historic restaurant are fighting for a fair and dignified contract and to guarantee they are able to keep their jobs and the rights that come with union representation.

BOYCOTT: Workers at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center Call for Boycott Amid Growing Labor Issues with ASM and Joint Employer, City of Long Beach

Long Beach: UNITE HERE Local 11 members plan to launch a boycott of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, owned by the City of Long Beach, until its operator ASM Global and the city agrees to sign a fair contract that ensures that all workers including subcontracted workers earn a living wage and are treated fairly. The boycott calls for tourists and visitors to choose alternatives for events.

The call for a boycott comes after the union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board last week alleging that ASM Global, the primary company that manages and operates the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, unlawfully called the police on picketing workers in retaliation for their protected activity and surveilled workers who were peacefully exercising their legal rights. The complaint names city manager Tom Modica as a representative of the City of Long Beach, which the complaint alleges is a joint employer of the striking Convention Center employees. ASM was recently purchased by Legends which also manages food and beverage operations at Sofi Stadium and the Los Angeles Coliseum.

For months, workers have been seeking to bargain a successor union contract with fair working conditions, voted to authorize a strike and then picketed the Convention Center during Mayor Rex Richardson’s State of the City & the Long Beach State of the Port last week.

The union also filed a public records request requesting all communications between ASM and City departments, including the Office of City Manager Tom Modica, and documents associated with the Request for Proposals for operation of a temporary amphitheater located adjacent to the Queen Mary. Mayor Rex Richardson announced at the State of the City that Legends & ASM had been “identified as the official operator” for that venue. Long Beach city leaders voted in early January to draft an ordinance to revise the minimum wage in a manner that would strip away the rights of subcontracted workers to be covered by the city’s wage law. Workers and community members are calling on the city to reverse this decision.

PRESS RELEASE: Third Woman Alleges Sexual Harassment Against Flying Food Group at LAX, File Complaints Againts Airline Catering Giant

These Complaints are latest in litany of legal complaints against FFG; labor dispute drags on

Inglewood, CA: A third woman has filed a complaint against Flying Food Group, an airline catering giant LAX following two other women who did the same last month. All three are alleging that Flying Food Group failed to protect them from sexual harassment and gender discrimination on the job

In November of last year, two women employees of Flying Food Group, Nelly Hernandez and Sandra Ruiz, filed charges with the California Civil Rights Department alleging that they were subject to repeated sexual advances by their supervisor, including in the form of sexual comments, inappropriate staring, and multiple instances of unwanted physical touching at work.

Earlier this week, Patricia Hernandez Marquez, a former employee of Flying Food Group, joined Miss. Hernandez and Ruiz by filing her own charges, which allege that the same supervisor harassed her while she worked for Flying Food and drove her to quit. 

The women are asking the Civil Rights Department to investigate Flying Foods Group’s practices, including whether the conduct they have alleged constitutes illegal discrimination under California law.

Nelly Hernandez stated, “My supervisor has caused me to feel unsafe at work.  I’m afraid to clean the upstairs areas by myself in case he’ll find me there.  I stopped wearing perfume to work after all his comments.  I decided that I needed to do something.  Others need to know what is happening and that they, too, can combat this kind of injustice in their workplaces.”

Sandra Ruiz said, “After all that my supervisor has done, I feel anxious just to see him at work.  I get headaches and stomach aches and have lost weight in recent months.  The stress I feel having to come into work every day is too much for me to handle some days. After I learned about my co-workers speaking out, I knew I wasn’t alone.  I decided I had to come forward and demand respect, too, so that this stops happening.”

“This is not the first time Flying Food has been accused of failing to protect its employees,” said Susan Minato, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, the union that represents all complainants. “Time and again, workers have raised complaints about sex discrimination and other issues to the company.  It’s time for Flying Food to own up to its responsibility to the workers and hold management accountable for this kind of behavior.  No woman should have to work under the kind of harassment Nelly, Sandra, and Patricia have described.”

“Sexual harassment and discrimination isn’t just humiliating to workers,” said Jennifer Reisch, supervising attorney for the University of California at Irvine’s Workers Law and Organizing Clinic, which filed the charges on behalf of Flying Food employees.  “It also can be a tool for employers to divide workers and undermine their efforts at organizing and building solidarity in the workplace.”

Workers at Flying Food Group have been embroiled in a labor dispute since April 2023, when they went on strike for 28 days. Since that time, labor negotiations have continued to drag on without an agreement. The company has also been at the center of numerous legal battles; last month, the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board announced that it would be moving to trial on seven unfair labor practices charges filed against the company, while a dozen more unfair labor practice charges remain under investigation.  Flying Food Group also paid out $1.2 million in damages earlier this year to employees for failing to recall them in a timely manner after the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with the states’ Right to Recall law.

BREAKING NEWS: Long Beach Convention Center Workers Vote 85% To Strike Ahead of Long Beach State of the City, Call on City to Not Roll Back Living Wage Law

Long Beach: Last night workers for ASM Global at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center voted 85% to authorize a strike to protest the issue of subcontracting at their workplaces.

“My coworkers and I work hard to welcome all into our city. It is a shame that ASM Global has not ensured its workers earn livable wages whether we work directly for ASM or we are subcontracted.We all need wages to help us provide for our families. ” said Jesus Jr Morales a Banquet Captain at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Workers at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center could engage in picketing, boycotting, or striking at any moment. These workers are the cooks, bartenders, and servers serving the Long Beach Convention Center, the Long Beach Arena, and Terrace Theatre. The workers and ASM have been in bargaining for months but have not reached an agreement on a new union contract, with the issue of subcontracted work being a sticking point. Pickets and protests could occur as early as next week.

Long Beach Convention and Long Beach Airport workers have also been advocating for the City to adopt an “Olympic Wage” ordinance to match the wages Long Beach hotel workers won in 2024. With hospitality business owners set to reap enormous benefits from the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, an increased minimum wage would ensure all workers who will welcome the millions of guests coming into the region can live in the communities near where they work.

However, Long Beach City leaders voted this past Tuesday to draft an ordinance that would strip away the rights of subcontracted workers to be covered by the city’s wage law. Workers and community members are calling on the city to reverse this decision.

Ada Briceño, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11 said, “As the city and our region are gearing up for the Olympics and Paralympics of 2028, it is disappointing that leaders are taking steps that would strip workers to a living wage. The city and its leadership have an opportunity to right this wrong.”