As Southern California hotel workers continue their second wave of strikes for higher wages, the Long Beach City Council is set to consider Tuesday night whether to put the issue before voters.
Long Beach Councilmembers Suely Saro, Mary Zendejas, and Cindy Allen proposed conducting a labor market analysis on hospitality worker wages across the region. They also recommended asking the City Attorney to draw up a measure for the March 2024 ballot on whether to authorize “fair and competitive” pay adjustments for hospitality employees.
The proposal doesn’t specify exactly how much wages would be raised.
Currently, the city’s minimum wage for hotel industry workers is $17.55 an hour, based on rules approved by voters in 2012. Unite Here 11 asked the Long Beach City Council on Monday to raise that figure to $25, the Long Beach Post reports.
Hotel workers in Long Beach say they’re facing difficulties due to escalating rents, and putting a significant portion of their earnings towards housing.
Unite Here 11 spokesperson Maria Hernandez told KNX News that some employees have to commute for two to three hours because of housing unaffordability in the L.A. area.
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