Latest news with #UniteHereLocal11
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Los Angeles hotel owners push back against $30 minimum wage
Los Angeles hotel operators have criticised a newly approved ordinance that will raise the minimum wage for staff at hotels of 60 rooms or more to $30 per hour by mid‑2028. The change, aimed at helping workers afford high living costs, has sparked concern from industry groups who warn it could strain an already fragile local hospitality sector. Hotel executives report that many renovation plans are on hold and some services, including valet parking and restaurant options, are being reduced. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust's CEO Jon Bortz said attempts to sell properties have failed, while boutique operator Mark Beccaria postponed a £8 million refurbishment originally scheduled before the 2028 Olympics. Operators warn that lower upkeep and fewer staff could harm guest experience during key events such as next year's World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics. The move to a $30 minimum wage has been championed by Unite Here Local 11, representing over 32,000 hospitality workers. The union argues that soaring rents—averaging around $2,383 a month for a two‑bedroom—and high living costs necessitate the pay raise. Organisers are now seeking to extend the wage increase citywide via ballot initiatives, hoping to build support and counter efforts to block the law. Industry bodies such as the American Hotel & Lodging Association have initiated a referendum campaign that could pause implementation if they collect around 93,000 signatures by late June. If successful, the wage hike would be suspended for one year and put to a vote in June 2026. Meanwhile, unions have launched their own petition drives to secure the measure and advance a broader proposal for a citywide $30 minimum wage. The debate over the hotel minimum wage in Los Angeles underscores broader tensions between efforts to improve worker pay and concerns over economic impacts on a tourism‑dependent industry that has yet to fully recover from the pandemic. "Los Angeles hotel owners push back against $30 minimum wage" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
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.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election
A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. The group, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, is hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. But first, the alliance would need to gather about 93,000 signatures within 30 days to qualify the measure for the ballot in an upcoming election. Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the alliance, said the wage increase "threatens revenue Los Angeles urgently needs" — and its standing as the host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "Small businesses will be forced to shut down, workers will lose their jobs, and the economic fallout will stretch across the city," Singer said in an email. "We're fighting for all of it: the city's future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year." The new ballot measure campaign comes just two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the minimum wage legislation into law. The wage ordinance has been hotly opposed by an array of L.A. business organizations, which argue that it increases wages in the tourism industry too much and too quickly. However, it was welcomed by unions representing hotel and airport employees, which have supported many of the politicians who backed the measure. The alliance's campaign committee has received major funding from Delta Airlines, United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., Singer said. The group's petition, submitted to the city clerk's office, was signed by five businesspeople, including Greg Plummer, operator of an LAX concession company; Mark Beccaria, a partner with the Hotel Angeleno on L.A.'s Westside; and Alec Mesropian, advocacy manager with the organization known as BizFed. The alliance is targeting a law that's slated to push the hourly minimum wage to $22.50 on July 1 for housekeepers, parking attendants and hotel restaurant workers, as well as LAX skycaps, baggage handlers and concession employees. The wage would jump to $25 in 2026 and $27.50 in 2027. The wage increase was spearheaded by Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and restaurant worker union, and by Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, which represents private-sector airport workers. Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, called the business group's proposal "shameful" and promised his union's members would go "toe to toe out on the streets" with the alliance's signature gatherers. "The hotel industry's greed is limitless," Petersen said. "They would rather spend millions getting them to sign this petition than pay their workers enough to live in Los Angeles. It's shameful, but we're confident that Angelenos will see through their deceptions and stand with workers." Under the city's laws, hotel and airport workers have minimum wages that are higher than those who are employed by other industries. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, is currently $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at LAX is $25.23 per hour, which includes a $5.95 hourly healthcare payment. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, 78 cents higher than the state's. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Backers of the airport and hotel minimum wage hikes say they will help some of the region's lowest paid workers cover the rising cost of rent and food, while also giving them more disposable income to spend locally, delivering a boost to the region's economy. Detractors say it will undermine efforts by L.A.'s tourism industry to recover from the decline in business that was sparked by the outbreak of COVID-19 five years ago. They contend the ordinance will lead to layoffs, while also chilling development of new hotels. The ordinance also requires airport and hotel businesses to provide an hourly healthcare payment — on top of the minimum wage — that starts at $7.65 in July and is expected to go up each year. (Hotels will be exempted from that requirement until 2026.) Once the healthcare requirement is included, some businesses will be required to pay their workers an additional 60% over a three-year period, opponents of the wage increase say. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election
A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. The group, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, is hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. But first, the alliance would need to gather about 93,000 signatures within 30 days to qualify the measure for the ballot in an upcoming election. Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the alliance, said the wage increase 'threatens revenue Los Angeles urgently needs' — and its standing as the host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'Small businesses will be forced to shut down, workers will lose their jobs, and the economic fallout will stretch across the city,' Singer said in an email. 'We're fighting for all of it: the city's future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year.' The new ballot measure campaign comes just two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the minimum wage legislation into law. The wage ordinance has been hotly opposed by an array of L.A. business organizations, which argue that it increases wages in the tourism industry too much and too quickly. However, it was welcomed by unions representing hotel and airport employees, which have supported many of the politicians who backed the measure. The alliance's campaign committee has received major funding from Delta Airlines, United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., Singer said. The group's petition, submitted to the city clerk's office, was signed by five businesspeople, including Greg Plummer, operator of an LAX concession company; Mark Beccaria, a partner with the Hotel Angeleno on L.A.'s Westside; and Alec Mesropian, advocacy manager with the organization known as BizFed. The alliance is targeting a law that's slated to push the hourly minimum wage to $22.50 on July 1 for housekeepers, parking attendants and hotel restaurant workers, as well as LAX skycaps, baggage handlers and concession employees. The wage would jump to $25 in 2026 and $27.50 in 2027. The wage increase was spearheaded by Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and restaurant worker union, and by Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, which represents private-sector airport workers. Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, called the business group's proposal 'shameful' and promised his union's members would go 'toe to toe out on the streets' with the alliance's signature gatherers. 'The hotel industry's greed is limitless,' Petersen said. 'They would rather spend millions getting them to sign this petition than pay their workers enough to live in Los Angeles. It's shameful, but we're confident that Angelenos will see through their deceptions and stand with workers.' Under the city's laws, hotel and airport workers have minimum wages that are higher than those who are employed by other industries. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, is currently $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at LAX is $25.23 per hour, which includes a $5.95 hourly healthcare payment. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, 78 cents higher than the state's. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Backers of the airport and hotel minimum wage hikes say they will help some of the region's lowest paid workers cover the rising cost of rent and food, while also giving them more disposable income to spend locally, delivering a boost to the region's economy. Detractors say it will undermine efforts by L.A.'s tourism industry to recover from the decline in business that was sparked by the outbreak of COVID-19 five years ago. They contend the ordinance will lead to layoffs, while also chilling development of new hotels. The ordinance also requires airport and hotel businesses to provide an hourly healthcare payment — on top of the minimum wage — that starts at $7.65 in July and is expected to go up each year. (Hotels will be exempted from that requirement until 2026.) Once the healthcare requirement is included, some businesses will be required to pay their workers an additional 60% over a three-year period, opponents of the wage increase say.
