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Workers at Sheraton Universal Join City-Contracted LA Grand Hotel on Strike, As SoCal Hotel Strike Grows

Workers protest hotels owned by developer recently convicted of bribery 

Los Angeles:  In the latest development in what has become the largest hotel worker strike in modern history, workers at the Sheraton Universal hotel went on an unfair labor practice strike this morning. They join workers from the LA Grand who walked out on strike yesterday.

Workers at the Sheraton Universal have filed pending federal unfair labor practice charges alleging that the hotel has retaliated against workers by disciplining or suspending approximately sixteen workers for protesting for better wages, among other allegedly unlawful conduct.

The Sheraton Universal and LA Grand are sister properties owned and operated by Shen Zhen New World LLC.  On May 12, 2023, following an 11-day trial, the company was convicted of bribery and related charges and fined $4 million for giving  benefits – including luxury trips and a sham loan – to bribe then-Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar in a bid to obtain city approval to build a skyscraper.  According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Shen Zhen’s owner is a fugitive believed to be in China.

The LA Grand operates under a contract with the City of Los Angeles as a site for Project Roomkey, an initiative to provide temporary shelter for unhoused persons.  Workers at the hotel have raised concerns about staffing since the start of the program several years ago and have failed a pending unfair labor practice charge alleging that the hotel disciplined a worker for complaining about safety issues.  Workers have also been calling for fair wages and benefits so that they can afford to live in Los Angeles and not join the ranks of the unhoused themselves.

Hotel workers at the Sheraton Park and Anaheim Hilton next to Disneyland in Orange County are also currently on strike.

Dufry Hudson Group Concession Workers at Ontario Airport on Strike!

Ontario, CA: Employees allege that agents of the company “have unlawfully interrogated workers about union activities; surveilled union activists; and threatened to discipline and retaliate against workers should they strike with the Union” after workers unanimously voted on August 15 to authorize a strike.
“My niece was one of the employees that management threatened,” said Nida Austria, a cashier. “We deserve to be treated with respect and not threatened. We work hard, and for minimum wage. When we stand up and demand better, Dufry Hudson Group management threatens our jobs. That’s not right.”
Ontario Dufry Hudson Group airport workers join other UNITE HERE Local 11 members on strike in hotels across Los Angeles and Orange counties. Just last week, Local 11 members at Areas at LAX airport and workers at SSP America at Phoenix Sky Harbor voted overwhelmingly to authorize strikes if needed to settle their contracts as well.
“Workers have reached their breaking point,” said Susan Minato, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11. “The travel and tourism industry exploited the pandemic and continues to rake in profits while their workers, the ones who actually make all this possible, are left living paycheck to paycheck. And when workers stand up for their fair share, companies violate their labor rights. The industry must pay workers a living wage and treat them with the respect they deserve.”
Dufry AG is based in Switzerland and employs almost 36,000 people in over 65 countries. Hudson Group was completely purchased by Dufry in August 2020. It is one of the largest travel retailers in North America.