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Miami Herald
17-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Union launches dueling ballot measures, escalating fight over LA's tourism worker wage hike
The hospitality union that won a major increase in the minimum wage for Los Angeles hotel and airport workers is escalating its fight with a hotel and airline industry group, which recently launched a campaign to repeal the wage hike. Unite Here Local 11, which represents hotel and restaurant workers, filed paperwork Monday for a pair of ballot proposals. One would raise the minimum wage for all workers in the city to $30 by July 2028. The other would force a public vote on the construction of large hotels or major hotel expansions. That measure would also require a public vote on the development or expansion of "event centers," such as sports stadiums, concert halls or the city's Convention Center. Union officials described the proposed ballot measures as a response to an effort launched last month by a group of airlines and hotel businesses to overturn a city ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers in Los Angeles to $30 an hour by 2028 by forcing a citywide vote on the measure. Unite Here Local 11 co-President Kurt Petersen said the wage proposal addresses criticism from business groups that the tourism industry had been singled out for wage increases. "We agree that all workers should make more," Petersen said. "We are hopeful since (airlines and hotels) think that only giving a living wage to one group is unfair, that they will immediately endorse it." Petersen said the second proposal would give voters a direct say in major hotel and event center projects subsidized by the city, as well as those that could take up valuable real estate that otherwise could be used to develop housing. The proposal would require that major development projects - including the creation of new hotels with 80 or more rooms, or 80-room expansions to existing hotels - seek voter approval before receiving construction permits. The development of event spaces with more than 50,000 square feet or with a seating capacity of 1,000 seats would similarly require voter approval, as would any development projects that receive a city subsidy, such as a gift of land or tax rebates. Petersen had previously said it was hypocritical for business leaders to fight wage increases at the same time they were pressing the City Council to spend tens of millions of dollars preparing for a renovation of the Los Angeles Convention Center, a decision made in April. The council voted last month to approve the airport and hotel worker wage hikes, which were championed by Unite Here Local 11 and Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West. The unions billed the proposal as an "Olympic wage," one that would ensure that their members can keep up with the rising cost of food and rent. They also argued that corporations should not be the only ones to benefit financially from the Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in L.A. in 2028. Soon after, a coalition of businesses, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, filed paperwork to halt the law and put the issue on the ballot instead, hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. The alliance has argued for several weeks that the wage hike will hurt the industry, forcing businesses to lay off workers and thwarting the development of new hotels. On Monday, the group described the plan to require public votes on hotel and convention center projects as "one union killing other union jobs." "The initiative being proposed will kill the Convention Center project that union workers would otherwise have and the tourism industry would benefit from," the alliance said in a statement. "The union can play its games, but we remain focused on protecting L.A. residents from lasting, widespread job loss." One business leader separately voiced alarm about the hotel union's citywide minimum wage wage proposal, warning it would cause companies to pull out of L.A. and relocate to neighboring cities, counties and states. "People will lose their jobs. Businesses will close," said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, which is based in the San Fernando Valley. "The city will become a barren land of empty storefronts and empty office buildings as employers go elsewhere." An official at the city's tourism department declined comment on the event center proposal, saying he had not yet read it. To successfully place the measure on the ballot in an upcoming election, the union and other backers would need to collect about 140,000 signatures within 120 days, organizers said. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, currently stands at $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at Los Angeles International Airport is $25.23 per hour, once those workers' $5.95 hourly healthcare payment is included. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, which is 78 cents higher than the state's. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Los Angeles Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Union launches dueling ballot measures, escalating fight over L.A.'s tourism worker wage hike
The hospitality union that won a major increase in the minimum wage for Los Angeles hotel and airport workers is escalating its fight with a hotel and airline industry group, which recently launched a campaign to repeal the wage hike. Unite Here Local 11, which represents hotel and restaurant workers, filed paperwork Monday for a pair of ballot proposals. One would raise the minimum wage for all workers in the city to $30 by July 2028. The other would force a public vote on the construction of large hotels or major hotel expansions. That measure would also require a public vote on the development or expansion of 'event centers,' such as sports stadiums, concert halls or the city's Convention Center. Union officials described the proposed ballot measures as a response to an effort launched last month by a group of airlines and hotel businesses to overturn a city ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers in Los Angeles to $30 an hour by 2028 by forcing a citywide vote on the measure. Unite Here Local 11 co-President Kurt Petersen said the wage proposal addresses criticism from business groups that the tourism industry had been singled out for wage increases. 'We agree that all workers should make more,' Petersen said. 'We are hopeful since [airlines and hotels] think that only giving a living wage to one group is unfair, that they will immediately endorse it.' Petersen said the second proposal would give voters a direct say in major hotel and event center projects subsidized by the city, as well as those that could take up valuable real estate that otherwise could be used to develop housing. The proposal would require that major development projects — including the creation of new hotels with 80 or more rooms, or 80-room expansions to existing hotels — seek voter approval before receiving construction permits. The development of event spaces with more than 50,000 square feet or with a seating capacity of 1,000 seats would similarly require voter approval, as would any development projects that receive a city subsidy, such as a gift of land or tax rebates. Petersen had previously said it was hypocritical for business leaders to fight wage increases at the same time they were pressing the City Council to spend tens of millions of dollars preparing for a renovation of the Los Angeles Convention Center, a decision made in April. The council voted last month to approve the airport and hotel worker wage hikes, which were championed by Unite Here Local 11 and Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West. The unions billed the proposal as an 'Olympic wage,' one that would ensure that their members can keep up with the rising cost of food and rent. They also argued that corporations should not be the only ones to benefit financially from the Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in L.A. in 2028. Soon after, a coalition of businesses, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, filed paperwork to halt the law and put the issue on the ballot instead, hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. The alliance has argued for several weeks that the wage hike will hurt the industry, forcing businesses to lay off workers and thwarting the development of new hotels. On Monday, the group described the plan to require public votes on hotel and convention center projects as 'one union killing other union jobs.' 'The initiative being proposed will kill the Convention Center project that union workers would otherwise have and the tourism industry would benefit from,' the alliance said in a statement. 'The union can play its games, but we remain focused on protecting L.A. residents from lasting, widespread job loss.' One business leader separately voiced alarm about the hotel union's citywide minimum wage wage proposal, warning it would cause companies to pull out of L.A. and relocate to neighboring cities, counties and states. 'People will lose their jobs. Businesses will close,' said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., which is based in the San Fernando Valley. 'The city will become a barren land of empty storefronts and empty office buildings as employers go elsewhere.' An official at the city's tourism department declined comment on the event center proposal, saying he had not yet read it. To successfully place the measure on the ballot in an upcoming election, the union and other backers would need to collect about 140,000 signatures within 120 days, organizers said. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, currently stands at $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at Los Angeles International Airport is $25.23 per hour, once those workers' $5.95 hourly healthcare payment is included. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, which is 78 cents higher than the state's.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
SF takes to the streets to protest ICE raids, demand Huerta's release
Amid escalating anti-immigration efforts, labor unions are warning San Franciscans that no one is safe from the Trump administration. Driving the news: David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, was arrested in Los Angeles Friday while serving as a community observer at a worksite immigration raid. He has been charged with conspiracy to impede an officer for allegedly blocking a law enforcement vehicle. The latest: Over 100 people packed the street in front of the Hiram W. Johnson State Building at noon Monday, calling for Huerta's release and an end to raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The rally was among over 30 spearheaded by local unions across the country. What they're saying:"It's so painful to know that this can happen to any one of us," SEIU Local 87 president Olga Miranda, who organized the protest, told Axios. "All he was doing was standing there to make sure enforcement wasn't brutal." Between the lines: Immigrants have played critical roles in California unions over the last few decades, especially in the Bay Area, which has seen success organizing janitors, health care workers and fast food employees. "Everybody should be worried ... . They're offended by our mere existence," Miranda said, referencing her identity as a brown Chicana woman. She noted that many people are increasingly scared to show up to work because of potential raids. Yes, but: Miranda emphasized that while exercising First Amendment rights is important, she does not condone "anything being set on fire" in light of Sunday's protests, where multiple Waymos were set on fire.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
California union leader faces criminal charge for protesting ICE raid
David Huerta, a beloved union leader in Los Angeles, is facing a federal criminal charge after his arrest at a worksite immigration raid on Friday where he was serving as a community observer, according to multiple reports. Why it matters: Huerta's arrest Friday has energized Democrats and union opposition to the Trump administration's fast-escalating anti-immigration push. Zoom in: Huerta is president of the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW), representing more than 45,000 janitors, security officers and airport service workers in California. The Justice Department is charging the 58-year-old union leader with "conspiracy to impede an officer," per NBC news. He was among dozens arrested over the past few days in L.A. The union is calling for his immediate release and on Monday organized rallies in at least 19 cities across the country in support — including in New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. Catch up quick: Video shows Huerta being pushed to the ground by an officer on Friday — he was initially hospitalized. "This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that's happening," Huerta said in a statement Friday. "Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals." U.S. attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement Friday federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta "deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle." "I don't care who you are—if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. " What they're saying: "In this moment, obviously, given David's role in our union, is one where we are being outspoken," SEIU president April Verrett told Axios Monday morning before the criminal charges were filed. "But this is not just about David. This is about all of us who just want to go to work every day." "House Democrats will stand with David Huerta for as long as it takes until the charges are dropped," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement over the weekend. Zoom out: Huerta is at least the third SEIU member to get detained by the Trump administration. Last month, federal authorities released a 64-year-old healthcare worker, Lewelyn Dixon, who had been detained for three months and has legal permanent status in the U.S. for the past half-century. Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts graduate student and SEIU member, was released after six weeks in custody. The big picture: Immigrants have played a key role in most unions for the past couple decades, but perhaps none more than SEIU in California, which has seen a lot of success organizing janitors, health care workers and fast food employees.
