Hotel workers at the JW Marriott, Sheraton Grand, Hotel Figueroa and several other properties, primarily in downtown Los Angeles, walked off the job early Wednesday morning in an action timed to coincide with the start of the American Political Science Association’s annual conference.
It’s the latest wave of rolling strikes by Southern California hotel housekeepers, front desk workers, cooks and other employees that began nearly two months ago. Union members are striking 13 hotels in this round of walkouts.
The union representing striking hotel workers, Unite Here Local 11, last week called for a boycott of some 60 hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties that haven’t agreed to new labor contracts, urging that all conventions held in the Los Angeles area should “stay away from strike-ready hotels.” The union lists the hotels without contracts on its website and asks that people “not patronize” them.
Union officials slammed leaders of the political science organization, which counts more than 11,000 academics and other political scientists as members, for refusing to cancel its L.A. meeting despite the ongoing hotel walkouts.
“Dirty rooms and nonstop noise will be the only amenities” for professors coming into town for the conference, said Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, in a Wednesday news release.
Earlier this summer Unite Here Local 11 had urged the academic association to cancel or move its conference — scheduled for Thursday through Sunday — to respect the strike. After facing backlash from members, the group announced on its website that hundreds of panels previously scheduled to be held in the JW Marriott would be relocated to the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Occidental College professor Peter Dreier said at a rally by hotel workers last week that leadership of the American Political Science Assn. had “run roughshod” over the wishes of many of its members. Dreier said many academics have since canceled their plans to attend the conference, and he predicts there will be low turnout.
Keith Grossman, an attorney with Hirschfeld Kraemer who represents a coalition of 44 hotels involved in talks with Unite Here Local 11, said the union’s call for a convention boycott will hurt the city and small businesses that depend on conventions.
“It defies logic that the union would ignore our offer to negotiate but would instead focus on pursuing its political goals directly hurting our employees’ current and future earnings and our local communities by trying to drive business away,” Grossman said in a Monday statement.
Grossman said the last negotiation session was held July 18 and “ended with the union refusing to engage” despite the coalition presenting “a solid” wage and benefits offer. He said the hotel coalition is calling on Unite Here Local 11 to return to the bargaining table after Labor Day.
In its proposal — which the union rejected — the hotel group offered an initial hourly pay raise of $2 that would go into effect following ratification of a new contract, and several subsequent raises amounting to a $5.50 per hour total increase by January 2027.
Striking hotel workers are demanding a $5 immediate hourly wage increase, and a $3 boost each subsequent year of the three-year contract, for a total raise of $11.
The downtown Los Angeles hotels where workers have walked out are:
•Sheraton Grand Los Angeles, Financial District
•Biltmore Los Angeles, Financial District
•Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. Live, South Park
•E-Central, South Park
•The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, South Park
•Residence Inn Los Angeles L.A. Live, South Park
•Hotel Indigo, South Park
•JW Marriott, South Park
•Hotel Figueroa, South Park
•Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown, Metro Center
•DoubleTree by Hilton, Little Tokyo
•Downtown LA Proper Hotel, South Park
•Fairmont Miramar, Santa Monica
___
© 2023 Los Angeles Times
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
