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.

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.

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.”

PRESS RELEASE: UNITE HERE Local 11 Files Cal/OSHA Complaint Alleging Rat, Cockroach and Maggot Sightings at The Westin Long Beach

Hotel workers protest The Westin Long Beach to demand a fair contract, safe working conditions

Long Beach–Hotel workers at the Westin Long Beach concerned for their health and safety have submitted a complaint to Cal/OSHA.

Workers plan to protest outside the Westin Long Beach on Saturday July 20, 2024 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Supporters will wear rat costumes and related props to draw attention to workers’ allegations that they have observed what appeared to be rats in the food storage room of the Hotel’s kitchen and roaches in the Hotel’s banquet kitchen. Workers documented alleged rodent sightings as recently as mid-June of 2024. In July 2023, a worker also documented an alleged sighting of what appeared to be maggots on unwashed dishes in the Hotel’s banquet kitchen.

The Westin Long Beach has been embroiled in a fierce labor dispute with its employees since the union contract expired on June 30, 2024. Westin employees join workers across the Los Angeles area who have fought for and won better wages and working conditions in what has become the largest hotel worker strike in modern history. The workers’ primary contract goals include wage increases to keep pace with the soaring cost of housing in Long Beach, quality and affordable health insurance, a pension to retire with dignity, and humane workloads.

“As hotel workers we strive to provide the best customer service to our guests, and we deserve a safe and healthy working environment. We urge the hotel to take immediate action to ensure that our workplace is safe. They need to listen to us as we fight for what we deserve,” said Wendy Bonilla, one of the complainants and a worker at the Westin Long Beach.

ON STRIKE: Westin Long Beach Hotel Workers On Strike As 4th of July Weekend Continues

One year after the nation’s largest hotel strike began, workers at Westin Long Beach walk out

Long Beach: Room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents, servers, and other workers of the Westin Long Beach  walked out this morning. The strike at the hotel comes one year after the largest hotel strike wave in modern US history began.

The hotel have yet to sign on to a contract along the lines of those already inked by more than sixty hotels in the region, including the Hotel Maya and DoubleTree San Pedro, and Westin hotels in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona. These contracts ensure that workers earn wages that keep pace with the soaring cost of housing, maintain affordable benefits, and receive reasonable workload assignments.