Westin Bonaventure – June 29, 8:00 AM

BREAKING NEWS: Westin Bonaventure First to Reach Deal As Historic Strike Looms for Dozens of SoCal Hotels

Los Angeles, CA: A day before contracts covering 15,000 hotel workers expire, the Westin Bonaventure hotel, Los Angeles’ largest hotel, reached a historic agreement with its workers.

“With these extraordinary raises, I will no longer have to choose between paying my rent and putting food on the table for my family,” said Nancy Cerrato, general clean public areas, housekeeping department. “We have given our lives to this industry. We deserve respect and to be able to afford to live in the city where we work.”

The Westin Bonaventure emerges as the leader in fair wages and benefits for its workers while dozens of hotels including the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton LA Live, Beverly Hilton, Fairmont Miramar, and Anaheim Hilton continue to drag their feet after months of negotiations.

A strike could be called as early as the 4th of July weekend for the remaining hotel properties across Southern California.

Once the contract is ratified, the 600 workers at the Bonaventure will enjoy:

  • Unprecedented wage increases to keep pace with the soaring cost of housing in Southern California
  • Affordable, excellent family healthcare
  • Humane and safe staffing that will return jobs and hours to pre-pandemic levels
  • Pension contribution increases so that workers can retire with dignity
  • Numerous improvements, including historic Equal Justice language that, among other things, will provide access to union jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and ban the use of  E-Verify in hiring.

“We applaud the Westin Bonaventure and Peter Zen for putting the workers and our city first,” said Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11.  “LA is the world’s most important tourist destination, with the World Cup and Olympics coming back to back in 2026 and 2028.  This agreement takes steps ensuring that workers who work in LA will be able to live in LA. Now the rest of the industry needs to step up. If they continue to be greedy and short-sighted, workers will strike.”

JENNIFER FLORES

Jennifer is a front desk supervisor at the InterContinental Los Angeles. Her mother has been a hotel housekeeper for over fifteen years. Jennifer she grew up going to union protests and marches. Now it’s her turn to take a stand!

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Nearly 200 people, including workers, union leaders, elected politicians, and community allies, engaged in an act of mass nonviolent civil disobedience, following an overwhelming strike authorization vote June on 8. Hundreds more room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, and community allies took to the streets to call for the wages required to afford housing in Los Angeles.

EYEWITNESS NEWS ABC 7

In Act of Nonviolent Protest Nearly 200 Hotel Workers Risk Arrest on Century Boulevard Following 96% Strike Authorization Vote

Los Angeles, CA:  Nearly 200 workers and community allies engaged in an act of mass nonviolent civil disobedience today, following an overwhelming strike authorization vote June on 8. Hundreds more room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, and community allies took to the streets to call for the wages required to afford housing in Los Angeles.

In a UNITE HERE Local 11 survey, 53% of workers said that they either have moved in the past 5 years or will move in the near future because of soaring housing costs. Hotel workers report commuting hours from areas like Apple Valley, Palmdale, California City and Victorville.

“I risked arrest for the future of my kids, my coworkers and myself. The companies have taken advantage of the pandemic to get richer, while we struggle to stay housed. I am fighting for that change, and ready to strike!” said Martha Esquivel, Holiday Inn LAX, laundry attendant.

The union is seeking to create a hospitality workforce housing fund, in addition to better wages, healthcare benefits, pension and safer workloads. Contracts expire June 30, and employers like Hyatt, IHG, Hilton and Marriott have failed to agree to anything close to the wages workers say they need to live with dignity in the cities where they work. The union could call for a strike at dozens of hotels with more than 15,000 workers as early as July 4th weekend.  This would be the largest hotel worker strike in modern US industry.

During the pandemic, hotels received $15 billion in federal bailouts and cut jobs and guest services such as daily room cleaning. In 2023, hotel profits in Los Angeles and Orange County exceeded pre-pandemic levels, yet hospitality workers continue to struggle to afford a place to live in the cities where they work.

Southern California will be the first city in modern history to host back-to-back the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028.  In recent decades, these mega sports events have left local governments indebted for years and have permanently displaced millions of poor residents.  UNITE HERE Local 11 is calling on the industry and political leadership to use the events to transform tourism jobs into family sustaining jobs and solve the housing crisis.

“In a show of strength and solidarity hundreds of workers were arrested for the right to live near where they work. Corporations have offered pennies, so today we risked arrest, and we are ready to go on strike to get the wage they deserve,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president UNITE HERE Local 11.

The last time hundreds of hotel workers risked arrest en masse on Century Blvd to demand better was in 2006.

More Perfect Union – Brenda Mendoza Profile


96% VOTED TO AUTHORIZE A STRIKE

The strike authorization vote comes after more than a month of failed negotiations with our hotel employers. Our key demands are an immediate $5 an hour wage increase to keep pace with the soaring cost of housing; affordable family healthcare; a pension that will enable workers to retire with security; and safe and humane workloads.