PRESS INQUIRIES
For Press Inquiries:
Maria Hernandez, Communications
(623) 340-8047 (mobile)
mhernandez {at} unitehere11 {dot} org
For Arizona Press Inquiries:
Rachele Smith, Communications
(623) 670-9889 (mobile)
rsmith {at} unitehere11 {dot} org
Some of the following press releases have been shortened and edited to avoid redundancy.
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PRESS RELEASE: New Group of Disney Workers Seeks to Unionize
Disney Vacation Club salespeople allege Disney has violated federal law, including by firing coworkers for organizing
Anaheim, Calif.: A group of nearly fifty Disney Vacation Club workers filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board last week requesting to schedule an election to join UNITE HERE Local 11. The election filing comes after the union filed seven unfair labor practice charges against the company over the last month.
The unfair labor practice charges, which are pending investigation by the National Labor Relations Board, include allegations that the company fired three employees because of their union activity—among them a top salesperson who had won an award for his performance just a few weeks earlier—as well as creating the impression of surveillance of union activities and making implied threats concerning worker leaders.
The National Labor Relations Act grants employees rights to join together to improve wages and working conditions—including by forming or joining a union. It is unlawful for an employer to interfere with these rights, yet workers allege Disney Vacation Club did exactly that in response to the workers’ organizing efforts.
“We started talking with each other about how we could make a difference at work, and then our leadership team started acting strange. They pulled some of us into meetings and finally fired three people who were involved in the organizing efforts—including two of our best sellers and one person who had almost 13 years of experience,” said Rana Salama, a Disney Vacation Club salesperson of more than one year. “We just want Disney to respect our rights at work.”
Disney Vacation Club is the business within the Walt Disney Company that sells ownership interests, usually called “timeshares,” in Disney Vacation Club resorts. The workers are seeking wages and commission rates that will allow them to live in the community where they work, as well as improved healthcare and retirement benefits, fair workloads, an end to management favoritism, and greater transparency.
UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona that work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports—including nearly 3,000 employees of the Walt Disney Company.
PRESS ADVISORY: Workers at Hilton Pasadena to Protest Amid City’s Crackdown on Free Speech
Workers will strike and picket despite City Attorney filing criminal cases against against workers who peacefully protested during earlier strike
Pasadena, CA: Dozens of hotel housekeepers, cooks and other employees of the Hilton Pasadena will be among hundreds of workers at hotels operated by Aimbridge Hospitality who will strike this Friday as part of a campaign for living wages, dignified conditions, and protections against sexual harassment.
The Hilton workers’ strike comes in the wake of criminal filings by the Pasadena City Attorney against protestors who participated in a peaceful picket line at the Hilton during a previous strike in December. Pasadena is the only city in Southern California that has filed criminal charges against participants in strikes that have occurred at more than sixty hotels across Southern California.
The charges allege that the protestors used handheld bullhorns in violation of a city law that restricts the use of amplified sound that is more than five decibels above the ambient level. The union asserts that the law is unconstitutionally restrictive of free speech and that it was misapplied by the City Attorney in a way that stifled workers’ First Amendment rights. Despite the City’s crackdown, the workers plan to strike again and to exercise their constitutional rights to peacefully protest.
Workers at the Pasadena Hilton join the already hundreds of workers at hotels operated by Aimbridge Hospitality across the Los Angeles area on strike. Through strikes and an “occupy” action near LAX, Aimbridge workers are seeking send a message that Aimbridge’s to their operator that management’s recent response to sexual harassment allegations will not suffice and that they want respect and a fair contract. Earlier this year, workers launched a boycott of the controversial hotel operator, which they have dubbed “Shamebridge.”
ON STRIKE: Workers at Aimbridge-Operated Hotels Launch Week of Action Following Company’s Response to Women’s Allegations of Sexual Harassment
Los Angeles: Hundreds of workers at hotels operated by Aimbridge Hospitailty across the Los Angeles area who have been waging a campaign for living wages, dignified conditions, and protections against sexual harassment walked out on strike this morning. Through strikes and an “occupy” action near LAX, Aimbridge workers are seeking to send a message that Aimbridge’s response to sexual harassment allegations will not suffice and that they want respect and a fair contract. Earlier this year, workers launched a boycott of the controversial hotel operator, which they have dubbed “Shamebridge.”
Over the last two months, six women at two Aimbridge hotels–the Hampton Inn & Suites Santa Monica and Sheraton Park Anaheim–have come forward alleging they experienced harassment and verbal abuse at work. The women have filed pending complaints with the California Civil Rights Department.
In response, a group of more than forty prominent Californians, including State Senator Maria Elena Durazo and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Dolores Huerta, sent a letter to Aimbridge’s new CEO Craig Smith on March 20 pressing the company to take specific steps to address the issue, including appointing an ombudsperson to provide an independent assessment of the company’s practices, recommend systemic reforms, and ensure complete and appropriate remediation in particular cases. The workers’ union, UNITE HERE Local 11, has also pressed the company to adopt a series of specific collective bargaining proposals to address and prevent the sexual harassment of its members at Aimbridge-operated hotels.
On March 25, Aimbridge’s Vice President of Human Resources-Labor Dave Williams, responded by email, disputing the allegations “that Aimbridge managers have been ineffective or have failed to ensure full respect for employee rights” and stating “we are confident in our position, including the actions taken by Aimbridge in response to each of the underlying complaints.” Workers and their union, UNITE HERE Local 11, view the response as woefully inadequate. They note the allegations in some cases accuse managers of harassment and that it does not appear the company completed an investigation of the workers’ complaints prior to denying that any wrongdoing took place.
Workers across 35 hotels have successfully ratified their historic union contracts at other Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt properties across Southern California. Aimbridge Hospitality has failed to meet the new standard. The company operates unionized hotels in the region that include Aloft El Segundo, Courtyard Marriott Santa Monica, Doubletree Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, Fairfield Inn and Suites El Segundo, Hampton Inn & Suites Santa Monica, Hilton Pasadena, Holiday Inn LAX, Hyatt Regency LAX, and Sheraton Park Anaheim.
PRESS ADVISORY: U.S Senator Bernie Sanders Rallies with Workers from the Hotel Figueroa, Aimbridge, and Blackstone in Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles: Senator Bernie Sanders will join rallying workers at Hotel Figueroa on Friday afternoon as part of his visit to the region. Workers at the historic property have been embroiled in a labor dispute for the last eight months as part of the largest hotel worker strike in modern U.S. history and are among those at the 26 hotels that have yet to settle new contracts.
The rally comes as thousands of hotel workers at 35 hotels ratified their contract with an immediate $5 wage increase and $10 increase over the life of the contract, bringing housekeepers up to $35 an hour just before the 2028 Olympics.
But other hotel workers–particularly those at hotels owned or operated by private equity corporations–are still struggling. At the Hotel Figueroa–owned by private equity giant BentallGreenOak (BGO), striking workers allege someone fired ball pellets at them, apparently using an air rifle, while they peacefully picketed outside the hotel in January. A month later at the same hotel, the food and beverage operator abruptly terminated its operations and fired its workers—only for the restaurant to reopen days later with a new operator contracted by BGO but without its veteran workers. This week, a class action lawsuit was filed alleging that owner and operators violated workers rights under Los Angeles Hotel Worker Retention Law.
Workers at hotels by other private equity firms—Advent International, owner of Aimbridge Hospitality, and the behemoth firm Blackstone—remain without a contract providing fair working conditions. Of the hotels who have yet to settle, 78% are owned or operated by private equity firms. Workers from those hotels owned by each of these firms will rally with Senator Sanders.
Tourism workers across Los Angeles, including hotel and airport workers, are also calling for the City to raise its minimum wage rates across their sector. Demanding an “Olympic Wage,” they are calling on the City Council to raise the minimum wage for tourism workers to $25 an hour immediately with increases of a dollar each year each year until the Olympics arrive in LA in 2028.
BREAKING: Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Hotel Figueroa Owner BGO and Operators Violated Los Angeles Hotel Worker Retention Law
Los Angeles–Today, a laid-off cook, Maria Ibarra, filed a class action lawsuit alleging violations of Los Angeles’s Hotel Worker Retention Ordinance at the Hotel Figueroa where more than a hundred workers have lost their jobs.
Located at the corner of Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles, the Hotel Figueroa is an iconic 14-floor building, which, in addition to guest rooms, features two destination restaurants, Sparrow Italia and Café Fig, and several other food and beverage outlets.
The hotel has been the site of controversy since, as reported in the LA Times, the hotel’s former food and beverage operator, Noble 33, abruptly terminated its operations and laid off its employees in February.
The lawsuit alleges that the Hotel Figueroa’s owner BGO (formerly GreenOak Real Estate) and operators have violated a city ordinance meant to protect workers’ jobs when there are changes in management by failing to retain them when the new operator took over.
The Hotel Worker Retention Ordinance was enacted to address the problem of mass layoffs of hotel workers that have occurred historically when corporate ownership or management of a hotel changes. The ordinance requires that new owners or operators retain the site’s employees for a transitional period, ensuring employment stabilization for community members and alleviating the demands for social services for newly-unemployed workers.
The class action lawsuit alleges that, just days after Noble 33 ceased operations and laid off its employees, BGO and its primary operator Highgate contracted with a new company, The Botanical Group, to serve as the operator for the hotel’s Café Fig and other outlets. Café Fig and other food and beverage operations were quickly reopened, but without their former non-management staff.
“We service workers are not disposable. We’re not something to be tossed aside when we’re no longer convenient. I am filing this lawsuit to make sure our rights are respected,” said Maria Ibarra, the lead plaintiff, a former cook at Hotel Figueroa.
The lawsuit accuses the BGO, Highgate, and Botanical Group of unlawfully failing to retain veteran employees. The suit also alleges that former operator Noble 33 failed to facilitate the transition by timely providing all necessary information about the workers to the other companies.
Ms. Ibarra and the putative class of affected Hotel Figueroa workers are represented by Lauren Teukolsky of Teukolsky Law and Jeremy Blasi in his individual capacity.
PRESS RELEASE: UNITE HERE Local 11 Unveils Results and Terms of Historic Deal Reached At 34 Hotels
The announcement also comes days after the politically powerful union’s ground game was key in passing the highest minimum wage in the country in Long Beach ahead of the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, and securing Nithya Raman’s seat on the Los Angeles City Council.
PRESS RELEASE: Fifth woman working at an Aimbridge-operated hotel files state sexual harassment allegations
Prominent Californians urge new Aimbridge CEO in his first week to “play a leading role” in resolving “allegations of sexual harassment and ineffective management”
Los Angeles: The fifth woman in less than a month has broken her silence by alleging she experienced sexual harassment working at an Aimbridge-operated hotel.
Marta Vela, a houseperson at the Hampton Inn in Santa Monica, sent a complaint letter to the California Civil Rights Department alleging that a manager made what she understood to be a sexual proposition when he invited her to his house when they were alone in his office, telling her he wouldn’t say anything if she didn’t say anything. A year later, she alleges, she reported sexual harassment from a different manager to Aimbridge HR, but they apparently refused to investigate or take any action she was aware of in response to her complaints. She asked management to switch her to the graveyard shift so she could avoid the manager’s harassment, only to have him start arriving to work an hour early and continue harassing her.
“I want to return to my normal job. Working overnight has taken a toll on my health and quality of life,” says Vela in her complaint letter. “But more than anything, I want to feel safe at work, and I want to feel like my employer is taking my complaints seriously. That is what every worker deserves.”
Hotel workers have called a boycott against nine Southern California hotels operated by Aimbridge Hospitality, which they have dubbed “Shamebridge.”
Today a group of more than forty prominent Californians, including State Senator Maria Elena Durazo and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Dolores Huerta, sent a letter to Aimbridge’s new CEO Craig Smith “to raise concerns regarding a matter of urgent importance on which we hope you will play a leading role: Women workers have brought forward allegations of sexual harassment and ineffective management at multiple Aimbridge-operated properties in Southern California.”
“These incidents form what appears to be a pattern of managers at Aimbridge properties failing to adequately ensure full respect for women workers’ rights,” their letter continues. “As someone who is only now joining Aimbridge’s leadership, we are not suggesting that you are responsible for or would condone this conduct. But it clearly presents a critical challenge to your early leadership and an opportunity to course correct.”
Vela’s former coworker Maritza Villeda at the Aimbridge-operated Hampton Inn Santa Monica was the first Aimbridge woman to break her silence last month. She submitted her own letter to the state Civil Rights Department alleging that after she complained about persistent sexual harassment to hotel management, the hotel failed to respond appropriately to her complaints and instead retaliated against her by terminating her.
Earlier this month, three women workers from the Aimbridge-operated Sheraton Park Anaheim each submitted complaints to the California Civil Rights Department, alleging that their employer failed to respond appropriately to their complaints of sexual harassment. One week later, hundreds of hotel workers from Anaheim, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Long Beach gathered outside the Sheraton Park for a protest against sexual harassment during the Natural Products Expo West, which hosted 70,000 convention attendees to the city.
Workers at a third hotel, which was operated by Aimbridge until the operator was replaced earlier this year, filed a pending class action lawsuit against an Aimbridge subsidiary alleging violations of the panic button and other worker safety provisions of the Los Angeles Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance. A primary purpose of this ordinance is to help protect workers from sexual assault in the workplace.
Craig Smith started as CEO of Aimbridge Hospitality on March 18. Aimbridge is the world’s largest third-party hotel operator, owned by Advent International.
STATEMENT: LA Forward, UNITE HERE Local 11, and Coalition Partners Congratulates Nithya Raman on Her Re-Election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2024
LA Forward, UNITE HERE Local 11, and Coalition Partners Congratulates Nithya Raman on Her Re-Election
The “Neighbors Supporting Nithya Raman for City Council” and “Worker Power for Nithya Raman for City Council” Committees played a critical role in delivering victory.
Los Angeles, CA — “Neighbors Supporting Nithya Raman for City Council, sponsored by LA Forward” and “Worker Power for Nithya Raman for City Council, sponsored by UNITE HERE Local 11” congratulate Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman on her outright re-election victory. Earning more than 50% of the votes cast, Councilmember Raman exceeded the threshold needed to secure a second term on the LA City Council.
LA Forward and UNITE HERE Local 11 brought together a coalition of workers and renters advocates to support Councilmember Raman with two Independent Expenditure committees and to fight back against the real estate moguls and corporate landlords, who spent millions trying to defeat her. Coalition partners included UFCW Local 770, Teamsters 396, SEIU USWW, SEIU Local 2015, SEIU Local 721, Engineers & Architects Association, NUHW, California Working Families Party, Smart Justice California, and LA League of Conservation Voters.
“We did what we do best: hit the pavement and got out the vote, knocking on 27,600 doors and talking to over 4,600 voters,” said Maria Teresa Alvarez, member of UNITE HERE Local 11. “Whether risking arrest to support LAX area workers fighting for a living wage, or walking the strike line during the biggest hotel worker strike in modern U.S history, Councilmember Raman has always shown up and delivered for us and all working families.”
“As working families and tenants’ rights advocates, we came together to ensure that the voters knew about Councilmember Raman’s successful track record of delivering real results on homelessness, renters’ rights, climate change, and good government reforms. With the seven mailers we sent out, we are proud to have played a part in ensuring that she will be able to continue her bold leadership for progressive solutions on the City Council,” stated David Levitus, Executive Director of LA Forward.
“Corporate-funded Independent Expenditure committees spent over a million dollars to flood voters with negative ads distorting Raman’s record in an effort to unseat a champion for Los Angeles working families. We were heavily outspent, but our members’ tenacity helped put Nithya on the path to victory,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president UNITE HERE Local 11.
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LA Forward is a community organization fighting for policies that will make Los Angeles County a fair, flourishing place for everyone. LA Forward is member-driven 501(c)(4) nonprofit seeking to fulfill the promise of democracy and ensure Angelenos have the knowledge, skills, and relationships to advance justice across a wide range of issues — affordable housing, climate justice, a fair economy, good government, and more.
UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona that work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports