LOS ANGELES, Calif.—UNITE HERE Local 11 announced Dec. 23 that it has reached tentative contract agreements with six hotels in Los Angeles, but not at 18 others in Los Angeles and Orange counties where members voted overwhelmingly in mid-December to authorize strikes.
The union would not release details of the deal because members had not yet voted on it, but Local 11 co-president Kurt Petersen called it “breathtaking.” “Not just for the terms of the contract, but because it also sets a standard for hotel workers in the region,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Our contract will put $200 million in the pockets of our workers and the L.A. economy. We’re changing this town for hospitality workers.” The six hotels include the W Hollywood and the Sheraton Grand near downtown Los Angeles. Local 11, which represents 7,500 hotel workers such as desk clerks and housekeepers, is seeking pay increases to at least $25 an hour, more affordable health care, and panic buttons so housekeepers can sound alarms about sexual assaults, provisions similar to those won by UNITE HERE members in strikes at Marriott hotels in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area last fall.
