SoCal Housekeepers Strike During Busy July 4th Weekend

Up to 15,000 Southern California hotel workers picketed over the busy July 4th holiday weekend in pursuit of higher wages and better benefits, KABC-TV in Los Angeles reports.

Hotel housekeepers, along with other hospitality workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11, officially walked off the job on July 2. The contract between the union and the hotels—the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, The Biltmore Los Angeles, The Ritz-Carlton, all located in Los Angeles, as well as The Fairmont Miramar in nearby Santa Monica—expired just after midnight on July 1. UNITE HERE Local 11 noted on its Twitter account that workers from other area hotels also joined the picket line in solidarity with those on strike.

According to KABC, the housekeepers made between US$20–$25 an hour under their most-recent contract. The union is asking for a raise of $5 an hour immediately, with $3 an hour to be added over time. The workers are also seeking improved healthcare and retirement benefits.

“We are not trying to get rich. We just want to be earning a better wage,” striking hotel worker Mercedes Florence told KABC.

In a statement, the bargaining group for the hotels said, “This activity was expected. We are fully prepared to continue to operate these hotels and to take care of our guests as long as this disruption lasts. We also remain available to meet with the union whenever its leaders decide to make themselves available to resume negotiations.”