Workers who picketed 19 major Southern California hotels over the holiday long weekend were back at work Wednesday, but their union warned more walkouts could come at any time.
No progress has been reported in negotiations between the employers and Unite Here Local 11, which represents bellhops, receptionists, room attendants, cooks, waiters and dishwashers.
Union members voted last month to strike at 60 hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties. They demand better wages, better health care benefits, higher pension contributions and less arduous workloads.
The soaring cost of living in greater Los Angeles is a significant issue for hospitality workers, according to the union.
Unite Here Local 11 spokeswoman Maria Hernandez described this week’s walkouts as the “first wave” of ongoing industrial action that could soon result in picket lines at 41 more hotels.
“We went on strike to show these companies what we were willing to do to get a fair deal,” said Joy Johnson, housekeeper at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown LA.
Contracts expired last Friday at hotels owned by major chains such as Hilton and Fairmont. The strike affects about half of the 32,000 hospitality workers the union represents in Southern California and Arizona.
Last week, an agreement was reached with its biggest employer, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles, which has more than 600 unionized workers. Union officials have described the tentative agreement, which provides for higher wages and increased staffing levels, as a major victory for workers.
Talks with other hotels — including the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons Regent Beverly Wilshire and Anaheim Hilton near Disneyland — were deadlocked. A coalition of more than 40 hotels involved in talks on Monday accused union leaders of canceling a scheduled bargaining session and refusing to come to the table. The hotels offered wage increases of $2.50 an hour in the first 12 months and $6.25 over four years, the group said.
The walkout came amid parties and a major anime convention in Los Angeles. Temporary employees were hired to cover the strikers, and it was not immediately clear whether the strike had resulted in early departure of customers or a lack of services.