Employees at 34 Southern California hotels, including some of Los Angeles’ most prestigious establishments, have voted to approve new contracts after months of intermittent strikes. The contracts, covering 34 hotels, were overwhelmingly endorsed by workers, with 98 percent of votes in favor. The agreements, announced by the Unite Here Local 11 union, include wage increases, improved pension contributions, and enhanced healthcare benefits. Luxury hotels, such as the Beverly Hilton, the Waldorf Astoria, the Anaheim Hilton, Courtyard Los Angeles LA Live, Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, and Irvine Marriott, among others, are covered by the new contracts, as per reports by the Los Angeles Times and The Mercury News.
According to Unite Here Local 11, non-tipped positions will see an immediate raise of $5 per hour, translating to $850 per month or $10,400 per year. Over the course of the agreements, which expire on Jan. 15, 2028, workers will receive a $10-an-hour pay bump, representing an increase of up to 50 percent. By July 1, 2027, most room attendants are expected to earn $35 an hour, equating to an annual salary of $73,000. Top cooks will see their wages rise to $41 an hour, amounting to $85,000 annually. Hotels will pay about $100,000 annually to employ a single room attendant. Additionally, under the new contracts, workers will only pay a maximum of $20 a month for full family healthcare coverage. Tipped workers also will receive double-time pay for holidays, vacation, and sick days, along with increases in their portion of service charges. Further, full-service restaurants will implement an automatic 20 percent gratuity, which will be distributed among the staff.
The new contracts come after months of labor activism, with more than 10,000 workers from 53 hotels participating in more than 160 strikes since July 1, 2023. The workers have demanded substantial pay increases to address skyrocketing housing prices in the region, marking the largest hotel-worker strike wave in modern U.S. history, according to Unite Here Local 11.
Workers at several hotels, including the Hotel Figueroa, Hotel Maya, Doubletree Downtown Los Angeles, and the LA Grand, continue to strike or boycott for improved contracts.
