Welcome to UNITE HERE Local 11
Organized workers earn more. Union members can enjoy health and pension benefits funded through employers’ contributions. Workers and their dependents can also negotiate to win free legal assistance with immigration services, housing issues, divorce, adoption and other services. Our families deserve more. Organize and Win!
Striking hotel workers reach a tentative contract agreement with a fifth hotel
Le Merigot Santa Monica Announces Settlement with UNITE HERE Local 11
Santa Monica, CA: UNITE HERE Local 11 and Le Merigot Santa Monica reached a tentative agreement after months of negotiations, making it the first hotel in Santa Monica to do so during a citywide hotel sector labor dispute that has been marked by contentious strikes and picket lines. Le Merigot Santa Monica is the fifth hotel in the broader Los Angeles area to sign an agreement in this round of contract negotiations.
Once the contract is ratified, the workers at Le Merigot Santa Monica will secure::
Le Merigot Santa Monica, the Loews Hollywood, Biltmore Los Angeles, and the Westin Bonaventure have emerged as leaders in providing fair wages and benefits for its workers and superior service for guests. At the same time, the Le Meridien Delfina has been caught using unhoused migrants to break the strikes at their hotels.
“We value our staff tremendously, which this agreement reflects,” said Jessica Rincon, General Manager, Le Merigot Santa Monica. “And we are proud that we reached this agreement while maintaining a positive relationship with our employees. We look forward to providing the level of service that our discerning clientele expect.”
“We are pleased to announce our settlement at Le Merigot Marriott Santa Monica,” said Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11. “We have now won standard-setting contracts in Downtown LA, Hollywood, Orange County, and Santa Monica. There are no excuses for the rest. Workers deserve to share in the prosperity of the tourism industry.”
THE STATE OF THE 2023 CONTRACT FIGHT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LA City Council Moves Forward on Historic Ordinance to Prioritize Housing Over Luxury Hotel Development
Los Angeles – LA City Council moved forward this morning on a revised version of the Responsible Hotel Initiative. Previously proposed by President Paul Krekorian on November 1, this ordinance will codify the core goals of the original initiative put forward by Unite Here: protecting the housing stock in Los Angeles.
“We have said all along that our contract campaign has been about two things: housing for our members where they work and a living wage,” said Co-President Kurt Petersen of UNITE HERE Local 11. “With this ordinance, we
have done more to protect housing than any single contract demand would have done. The fight for a living wage continues.”
Los Angeles is experiencing a dramatic increase in hotel development, ranking second in the nation in the number of new hotel rooms in its pipeline, with more than 100 hotels under construction or in planning stages. Among other pro-housing provisions, the law would require developers of new hotels that displace housing to replace that housing on a one-for-one basis.
UNITE HERE Local 11 has until December 1 to withdraw the original language of the ordinance. The new ordinance would come before Council for a vote in early December.
BREAKING NEWS: UNITE HERE Local 11 Hotel Workers Reach Tentative Agreement with Laguna Cliffs Marriot
Laguna Cliffs Marriott and UNITE HERE Local 11 are proud to have come to an agreement that respects workers and allows staff to focus on providing the highest standard of customer service to guests.
The agreement comes as thousands of striking UNITE HERE workers from across 50 hotels took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest and organize for new contracts.
The agreement was reached in negotiations facilitated by Assembly Speaker Emeritus John A. Pérez. “This is an example of how communities benefit when labor and management come together and work towards an agreement that is mutually beneficial.”
“We are proud to announce our latest settlement agreement that meets the needs of our members in wages and benefits,” said Kurt Petersen, Co President of UNITE HERE Local 11. “We are eager to begin a new chapter at Laguna Cliffs Marriott.”
LA TIMES: Fourth hotel reaches deal with workers as strikes launch at dozens of properties
LA TIMES: A third hotel reaches a deal with striking workers as Long Beach, Pasadena employees walk out
BREAKING NEWS: Loews Hollywood Reaches Union Agreement; Strikes Continue in Downtown LA and Other SoCal Hotels
“I am extremely glad we came to an agreement that helps us and the hotel move forward, Maria Camarena, housekeeper of 21 years. “My coworkers and I never gave up, and we will continue to support other hotel workers as they continue to fight for what they deserve too.”
Once the contract is ratified, the nearly 300 workers at the Loews Hollywood will enjoy:
The Loews Hollywood, Biltmore Los Angeles, and the Westin Bonaventure 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, and Fairmont Miramar, continue to refuse to provide a living wage.
“Our team members are at the core of what makes Loews the company it is,” said Vincent Piro, Managing Director, Loews Hollywood Hotel. “We are thrilled to be in agreement with our partners at UNITE HERE Local 11 and look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests, fellow team members and neighbors.”
“We are pleased to announce our settlement with the Loews Hollywood,” said Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11. “Three of the biggest LA hotels – including the largest in downtown and Hollywood – have decided to put their workers and our city first. It is time for the rest of the industry to share their prosperity with their workers. ”
PRESS RELEASE; CA Labor Commissioner Issues $4.8 Million Citation to Hyatt Regency Long Beach for Failing to Rehire Laid Off Workers
Signed into law in 2021, SB-93 requires hotels, event centers, and other hospitality businesses to offer employees whom they laid off due the COVID-19 downturn in tourism an opportunity to return to work in open positions for which they are qualified in order of seniority. The law, recently extended until December 31, 2024, provides job protection to some 700,000 laid-off housekeepers, cooks, waiters, and others across the state.
Rigoberto Villagrana, who was laid off by the Hyatt Regency after working at the hotel since 1996, said, “Being laid off during the pandemic has been devastating for me and my family. We’ve struggled to pay our mortgage and keep food on the table. I am really glad to see the state stepping in to make sure Hyatt Regency complies with the law.”
The Labor Commissioner’s Office, which is led by Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower, conducted an investigation in response to complaints from workers alleging violations of the recall law.
“Some of these employees had as much as 24 years of experience, and were suddenly out of work due to a public health emergency,” said Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower. “The employer failed to offer them their old jobs back in compliance with the law.”
After investigating Hyatt Regency’s recall practices, the agency issued a citation to Hyatt Regency for $4,799,563.84 in liquidated damages and interest owed to dozens of workers and civil penalties for the hotel’s alleged failure to recall, or timely recall, workers laid-off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, the hospitality workers’ union that fought for the law and helped the workers file complaints, said, “The Hyatt Regency in Long Beach has treated its veteran workers like they are disposable. This kind of behavior is not only immoral, but as the agency’s massive citation shows, it can also be illegal.” He continued, “I commend the Labor Commissioner for conducting such a thorough investigation and showing that our worker protection laws have real teeth.”
LA TIMES: Long Beach hotel fined $4.8 million for failing to rehire workers laid off during COVID-19 shutdown