PRESS RELEASES

Los Angeles: Today, UNITE HERE Local 11 members, along with representatives from future citywide conventions and events, announced a boycott of Los Angeles, until the hotel industry pays a living wage and puts an end to violence against its striking members. The workers’ call for conventions to stay away from Los Angeles marks a major escalation in the largest hotel worker strike in U.S. history.

In a statement of support, Kathryn Lybarger President AFSCME 3299 said, “AFSCME 3299 stands in solidarity with the brave workers of UNITE HERE Local 11 and their struggle for justice and ability to live and thrive in the Los Angeles economy they helped build. Until the workers win the fair settlement they are fighting for, AFSCME 3299 will honor their boycott and picket lines. We commit to not spend a dime of our members’ money in any boycotted Los Angeles hotel or business. Our money will however be going towards supporting striking workers. Today we donate $25,000 and pledge to do all we can to stand with them until they win. Their struggle is our struggle.

“We moved our event twice, to stand with hotel workers. We call on our nonprofit and for-profit friends. Move your conferences, and gatherings to places that value hospitality workers, their servers, their housekeepers – move your events or boycott LA!” said Ana Grande, Executive Director of the Program for Torture Victims.

“SEIU Local 99 members are proud to support the boycott of hotels that disrespect workers. Our union canceled business with Hotel Maya this summer. At our urging, the LAUSD school board also agreed not to do business with hotels that have active labor disputes. Instead of responding with violence and threats, hotel corporations need to know that when workers are under attack – we fight back on the picket line and with our pocketbooks,” said Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99.

“I am fighting to keep a roof over my head. Right now 80% of my income goes toward rent for my studio apartment. My wages are not keeping up with the high cost of living. That is why we call on all upcoming conventions to boycott Los Angeles until we get the wages we deserve.” said Cristina Betancourt, housekeeper at the Ritz Carlton/JW Marriott LA LIVE.

Already, the hotel strikes have caused many groups such as the Democratic Governors Association, the Japanese American Citizens League, and The Council of State Governments West to relocate, suspend or cancel their events. Hundreds of members of the American Political Science Association (APSA), who has a 6,000-person convention set in Los Angeles on Labor Day weekend, have canceled their plans to attend after APSA leadership defied request by hotel workers to cancel the event.

“Many political science professors have already pledged to not attend the APSA convention Labor Day weekend. I call on all academic organizations including APSA, to protect the integrity of their organization and to stand with hotel workers. Honor their boycott,” said Peter Dreier, longtime member of the American Political Science Association.

Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11 said, “For those who are deciding on whether to hold your event in LA including FIFA and the Olympics, the choice is clear. On one side, there is the boundless greed and violent conduct of rapacious corporations.  On the other side, there is the sacrifice, solidarity and courage of these workers fighting for a living wage.  Which side are you on?”

Broad labor movement support raises possibility of prolonged conflict

Los Angeles – California unions announced their pledge of financial support for hotel workers who have been leading the largest wave of hotel strikes in modern history.  Collectively, the unions pledging support represent 2.1 million workers.

“At this moment when workers of practically every industry are coming together to take a stand, we as union leaders can do no less,” said Yvonne Wheeler, the President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. “I am proud that our union sisters and brothers have come together to pool our resources to back each other up.”

The coalition of unions includes the California Federation of Labor, California Teachers Association, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, UFCW 770, UFCW Local 324, SEIU USWW, California State Firefighters’ Association, and IBEW Local 11. All of them have pledged the following:

“We will back UNITE HERE Local 11’s strikes financially and otherwise until they win. Securing living wages and financial security for working people remains forever and always our number one priority. When we fight together, we win for everyone.”

Lorena Fletcher Gonzalez, the Executive Secretary Treasurer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, stated: “The labor movement membership in California is one of the largest in the world, and when we stand together we can match the strength and resources of any corporation.  This is how we win strikes – through the power of our solidarity.”

UNITE HERE Local 11 Co-President Kurt Petersen praised the move, stating: “We hear from the hotel companies that they think striking workers will have to cave because they don’t have the same financial resources as the multi-billion dollar companies who are enjoying record profits. The pledge to back us up takes that power away from them. The bosses always underestimate the power of their workers and the labor movement.”

Los Angeles: Hundreds of striking hotel workers will picket and rally at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown and announce the filing of an Unfair Labor Practice charge against the hotel industry’s Coordinated Bargaining Group, which represents a majority of LA’s unionized hotel employers, including Hyatt, Hilton, IHG, and Marriott.

The mass action and announcement of legal filing will denounce a pattern of ugly episodes of violence on picket lines at hotels where workers have been on strike. On Saturday, striking hotel workers led a peaceful march through Santa Monica that ended at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, where the workers and supporters were attacked and tackled to the ground by hotel security as they sought to establish a picket line. Video of the violent episode has gone viral.

Another violent episode occurred on Saturday in Long Beach. Hotel security personnel including a manager at the Maya Hotel sought to forcibly relocate striking workers using a chain link fence while a guest ran around the fence and punched a worker in the head, pushing at least two others.

At the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Dana Point, which is owned by the University of California Retirement Fund and operated by Aimbridge, workers have been repeatedly assaulted,   threatened and had property destroyed.  The Union alleges that hotel security personnel have failed to assist the Union in identifying guests who have engaged in such conduct, and, in one instance, a hotel security leader allegedly told a guest who had threatened to assault workers that the guest should do what he wanted to do and that the security head would testify on the guest’s behalf.

Last week, John Tesar, the “celebrity chef” behind the Laguna Cliffs’ Knife Modern Steak restaurant, approached striking workers and broke a drum one of the workers was holding.  He then told the striking workers:  “Take your union and shove it up your ass.  Suck my d___.  You are a bad person. … You’re a lazy pendeja.” While Aimbridge has claimed that Tesar “has been removed from the property while we continue to investigate this incident,” his relationship to the hotel remains uncertain and, as far as the Union is aware, there have been no consequences for any company personnel or guests for the threatening and violent conduct perpetrated against the workers.

Thousands of workers continue to strike at hotels in or around West Hollywood, LAX, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Long Beach. In total, workers at 46 hotels across LA and Orange Counties have struck in the last month in the largest hotel strike in California history.

Workers are calling on the industry to follow the lead of the Westin Bonaventure, which has reached a tentative agreement that includes a living wage that will enable workers to afford to live in the cities where they work. Yet, rather than agree to provide workers the wages and benefits they are calling for, the hotel industry has tried to curtail workers’ ability to protest and in some cases condoned violence against them, even as the hotels charge top dollar for rooms during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour six-day run at SoFi Stadium.