California Hearing Will Examine Hotel Housekeeper Wage Disputes

The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement will hear wage claims cases brought by 11 hotel housekeepers against Columbia Sussex, owner of the JW Marriott Santa Monica Le Merigot, in Santa Monica, California, according to UNITE HERE Local 11.

The housekeepers, who are members of the union, claim the hotel’s heavy workloads interfered with their ability to take breaks and resulted in them working hours when they were scheduled to be off the timeclock. These workload disputes and other labor issues date back to 2016—when JW Marriott housekeeping workers voted overwhelmingly to join UNITE HERE Local 11.

In 2019, the housekeepers pushed for a Santa Monica housekeeper-protection ordinance that “establishes overtime pay for heavy workloads, requires training on public health issues and worker protections, provides housekeepers with protections against sexual assault and other threatening conduct, and ensures worker retention in the event of a sale.”

The JW Marriott workers and management are demanding Columbia Sussex to resolve the labor dispute before selling the property, which is in financial distress. Although Columbia Sussex was approved for US$50 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds, during the pandemic, Columbia Sussex refused to cover the cost of health coverage for temporarily laid-off workers. Member of Congress have called for a federal investigation of Columbia Sussex regarding its use of the PPP funds meant to assist small businesses.

Meanwhile, the hearings for the 11 wage claims have been scheduled for May and June 2021.