Hotel employees across Southern California continued their strike Monday morning.
The contract between Unite Here Local 11, which represents 15,000 workers employed at 65 major hotels in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and the hotels expired at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, according to City News Service.
"BREAKING: Southern California hotel workers are ON STRIKE! Thousands walked off the job at properties across DTLA & Santa Monica. Dozens more properties remain without a Union contract," the union tweeted on Sunday.
On the forefront of this strike are asking fo higher pay, as well as improvements in health care and retirement benefits. Employees are currently making $20 to $25 an hour. The unions are asking for a $5 immediate raise, and then $3 over the life of the contract.
Keith Grossman, an attorney representing the hotels, told the Los Angeles Times hotel employers offered $2.50 an hour in the first 12 months, and then $6.25 over the course of four years
One employee on strike told KNX News that they don’t make enough to live in Los Angeles.
“I mean, you need at least $39 an hour to be able to afford a house here in L.A. to rent,” she said.
Maria Hernandez with Unite Here Local 11 told KNX News there are employees who have to commute long hours to work.
“You have housekeepers that work here, for example, at the JW Marriott and workers that work here who have to commute two to three hours because they cannot afford with the wages that they make to live near where they work,” she said. “You tell that to Brenda who lives in Apple Valley sleeping two hours a night because that is the only place she could afford a home.”
On June 8, the union’s members approved a strike authorization.
On Wednesday, the union reached a deal with Westin Bonaventure,
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