Major Victory for Hotel Workers as More Hotels Sign Tentative Agreements
By Dolores Quintana
Hotel workers from Sheraton Universal, LINE Hotel, and 1 Hotel West Hollywood have joined Fairmont Miramar Santa Monica and 24 other hotels in signing tentative agreements with UNITE HERE Local 11.
Maria Del Carmen, a room attendant at Sheraton Universal, expressed determination, saying, “We never gave up and fought hard to win what so many other hotel workers now have. I hope workers at our sister property, the LA Grand, and other hotels soon join us.”
Once the contract is ratified, it will maintain the same provisions as the previous tentative agreements, including unprecedented wage increases aligned with the soaring cost of housing, affordable family healthcare, humane workloads, safe staffing, improved pension increases, and language enhancements. The language improvements include Equal Justice provisions, facilitating access to union jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals, and providing unprecedented protections for immigrant workers.
Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, commented on the growing support for the historic agreement but expressed disappointment with Aimbridge-operated hotels, such as Hyatt Regency LAX and Pasadena Hilton, for not listening to their workers.
Aimbridge Hospitality operates hotels like Hyatt Regency LAX, Sheraton Park Anaheim, Hilton Pasadena, Doubletree DTLA, Doubletree San Pedro, Holiday Inn LAX, Santa Monica Hampton Inn, Santa Monica Courtyard Marriott, and Blackstone-owned Aloft and Fairfield El Segundo. Along with Ensemble-operated Hotel Maya and Hyatt Place Pasadena, these hotels continue to resist meeting the new hotel contract standard.
