Hotels Want Living-Wage Issue on Ballot

Worker Profiles

For over 20 years, Isabel “Segunda” Brentner has worked at the LAX Hilton, keeping her focus on her family and her job. “My priorities [were] to help my family,” says Brentner, who, along with raising her own children, cared for both her father and grandmother when they were ill. More

Enedina Alvarez, a 54-year-old single parent, says she must be both mother and father to her teenage children. Yet, with two jobs, she has barely enough money to house, feed and clothe them—and precious little time to spend with them. Although she receives health insurance through her job, she cannot afford to insure her children. Alvarez says, “I pray to God that my kids do not get sick because I cannot pay the medical bills.” More

Who Are Hotel Housekeepers?*

Nearly all hotel housekeepers are women. The majority are women of color and immigrants.

There are 1.3 million hotel workers in the U.S. and 280,000 in Canada, of whom approximately one quarter are housekeepers.

Hotel Housekeeper Work Is Dangerous Work

Hotel workers have a 40% higher injury rate (5.9%) than workers in the service sector (4.2%).

According to a recent study of company records covering thousands of employee injuries, hotel housekeepers face an injury rate of 10.4%, almost double the injury rate for non-housekeepers (5.6%).

Hotel housekeeper injuries are debilitating. Back injuries, housemaids' knee (bursitis), and shoulder pain can lead to permanent disability.

*UNITE HERE

Why We Need A

"PLAN FOR A
NEW CENTURY"

A new white paper calls on the city of Los Angeles and industry leaders to invest in the Century Corridor and its workforce. A Plan for a New Century will benefit workers, communities, hotels and the entire city. More

Hotels Want Living-Wage
Issue on Ballot
Daily News - November 2, 2006
By Rick Orlov

The hotel and business community plans to launch a referendum against a living-wage requirement for hotels along the Century Boulevard corridor near LAX, organizers said Thursday.

Harvey Englander, spokesman for the hotel owners, said plans are being developed in the belief that the Los Angeles City Council will impose the higher pay standards when it considers the issue Wednesday.

"The resources have been authorized to begin preparations for a referendum drive if this is approved," Englander said. "We would probably be looking to qualify this for the May15 runoff election because of the time it will take to gather signatures and verify them.

"What we hope is that the council will slow down and meet with us to resolve this before we get to that point. In the past, anytime there has been a referendum, the council has backed down. We are just asking to resolve this in a peaceful way."

Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who has been pushing the proposal, had no comment on the planned referendum and what it could do to the issue.

The most recent issue in which a referendum qualified for the ballot involved a proposal to ban nude dancing at adult-entertainment clubs.

Englander said supporters would have to collect signatures from more than 49,000 registered voters to qualify the living-wage issue for the ballot.

"We haven't figured out what it would cost, but we believe the resources will be there," Englander said.

A recommendation has been made to the full council to require hotels near Los Angeles International Airport to abide by the city's living-wage law.