BREAKING NEWS: Biltmore Los Angeles Reaches Historic Union Agreement; Strikes Continue at Beverly Hills and Other SoCal Hotels
Los Angeles, CA: After a historic summer of strikes, UNITE HERE Local 11 and the Biltmore Los Angeles have reached a tentative agreement. The historic Biltmore Los Angeles joins the Westin Bonaventure in achieving settlements with their workers.
“It is great to see our contribution recognized and our compensation increased. This agreement will allow us to go home and sleep a bit more securely,” said Lucy Mijangos, a housekeeper at the Biltmore Los Angeles. “I am so proud of my coworkers for sticking together and grateful for the hotel for doing the right thing. We are committed to making sure every hotel worker wins the same agreement.”
Once the contract is ratified, the 300 workers at the Biltmore Los Angeles will enjoy:
- Unprecedented wage increases that keep pace with the soaring cost of housing in Southern California
- Affordable, excellent family healthcare
- Humane workloads and safe staffing
- Improved pension increases so that workers can retire with dignity
- Numerous improvements, including historic Equal Justice language that, among other things, will provide access to union jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and ban the use of E-Verify in hiring.
- The Biltmore Los Angeles and the Westin Bonaventure, two of the largest hotels in the city, have emerged as leaders in providing fair wages and benefits for its workers and superior service for guests.
At the same time, dozens of other hotels, including those with far higher room rates such as the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton LA Live, Beverly Hilton, Fairmont Miramar, and Anaheim Hilton, continue to refuse to provide a living wage.
“We are very pleased to have come to an agreement with UNITE HERE Local 11 on behalf of our loyal and dedicated employees. We can now focus together on looking after our guests and providing the level of service our guests have come to expect from the Biltmore Los Angeles,” said Jimmy Wu, General Manager of the Biltmore Los Angeles.
“We applaud the Biltmore Los Angeles for putting their workers and our city first,” said Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11. “LA is the world’s most important tourist destination, with the World Cup and Olympics coming back to back in 2026 and 2028. This agreement takes steps to ensure that workers who work in LA will be able to live in LA.”