A City Council committee Tuesday will consider a proposal to increase the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers with the goal of providing $30 an hour by 2028.
The five-member Economic Development and Jobs Committee is scheduled to discuss draft ordinances required to effectuate the minimum wage increase.
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The so-called Olympic Wage proposal would increase hourly wages for hotel and airport workers to $22.50 an hour in July, followed by a jump to $25 an hour by 2026, $27.50 an hour by 2027, reaching $30 by 2028 -- when the Olympic and Paralympic Games arrive in the L.A. region. They would also receive a new $8.35 per hour payment to cover healthcare.
City officials have considered exemptions for LAX concessionaires with 50 or fewer employees, along with certain hotel owners under specific conditions.
Hoteliers and airport concessionaires criticized the proposal, saying it would raise labor costs and could force some businesses to shut down.
"Hotel employees in Los Angeles are paid the highest wages in the country, but right now their jobs are at risk," Rosanna Maietta, CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, said during a news conference at City Hall on April 29.
"City leaders are considering a damaging proposal that will jeopardize these jobs; it would devastate much needed tourism related tax revenue and lead to the closure of hotels that are desperately needed to successfully host the 2026 World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics."
Meanwhile, Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11 -- the union backing the minimum wage hike -- said the measure would boost the local economy and support working families. In a statement, he said, "City leaders have an opportunity to ensure the Olympic and Paralympic Games benefit hard- working Angelenos, and this ordinance does just that."
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