Protests are currently underway at the Andaz Hotel in West Hollywood. The photo shows UNITE HERE Local 11 workers blocking the hotel entrance and interrupting tourist activity and business operations on the Sunset Strip.
West Hollywood hosts 22 hotels, but only the 1 Hotel and the Andaz are operated by the UNITE HERE Local 11 Union. As of this writing, there appear to be no protests disrupting business at 1 Hotel.
Mayor Shyne, Mayor Pro Tem Erickson, and Council member Byers have all accepted donations from UNITE HERE LOCAL 11. However, Mayor Shyne has yet to issue a statement about the disruption to West Hollywood’s tourism business during the July 4th holiday weekend. She did comment on the recent Supreme Court decisions in Washington DC, but that statement has since been removed. WEHOville has reposted the statement here.
In West Hollywood, protests and strike threats persist even though the City Council has already approved a minimum wage and benefit package that is the highest in the nation.
Non-union hotels operate under a double standard. These hotels limit their housekeepers to a maximum of 3500 square feet per day to avoid paying overtime. Meanwhile, workers at hotels operated by UNITE HERE Local 11 do not receive overtime for cleaning more than 3500 square feet per day or approximately six rooms. Despite this disparity, the workers’ ordinance was promoted as ‘pro-worker’.
Former West Hollywood City Council member Lindsey Horvath is closely associated with UNITE HERE LOCAL 11 and used their support in her County Supervisor campaign.
A former campaign staffer for a current West Hollywood Council member characterized the relationship between UNITE HERE and their endorsed candidates. “I know the UNITE Here people, and I’m well aware that they believe they ‘own’ any candidate they endorse.”
The joke is on us. Despite meeting all of UNITE HERE Local 11’s demands for wages and benefits, they continue to protest in West Hollywood. Our city and city council, who granted these concessions, seem powerless to prevent the picketing in WeHo.
[…] HERE in her new role on the Board of Supervisors, where the former West Hollywood councilmember is helping the powerful union take its agenda and ambitions […]
[…] with UNITE HERE’s leadership. In the month of July alone, hotel workers have already gone on strike twice, disrupting operations in downtown L.A., Santa Monica and the vicinity of LAX. The union has […]
Our son lives a short distance from this hotel and says the noise from this protest often starts as early as 5:00 AM and goes to 10:00 PM. How is that not a violation of a noise ordinance? Protesting is certainly a protected right but disturbing the peace is not.
Look, I’m all for employees being treated well, and getting paid what they deserve. I just think that if one could reasonably expect a 10-year-old to be capable of carrying out the bulk of same tasks, the job doesn’t merit earning $25 or more an hour!
Currently, even as DINKs (Dual Income No Kids), my spouse and I have to go outside of WEHO to do the weekly grocery/essentials shopping, or have a date night because we simply can’t afford the ridiculous price mark-ups that WEHO businesses have been forced to implement to offset these absurd payroll costs! I recently found that it is more cost effective to order groceries from stores in Burbank through instacart and pay $30-$40 extra dollars in delivery fees+ tip than it is for me to drive less than a mile, sometimes pay for parking, and shop at the same chain… Read more »
Instead of being cowed by the same union that very recently got everything that they demanded, can we maybe talk about how ridiculous it is that some full time salaried exempt status employees could soon be making less than unskilled laborers per hour? I’m employed and live in WEHO. As an exempt status employee my salary is based off of the state minimum wage($15.50/hour) not the city minimum wage ($19.08/ hour). Due to the continued demands for city minimum wage increases, that bring with them higher costs of living, my very “livable” wage may very soon be too little to… Read more »
Hotel’s are doing everything possible to reduce their headcount. These employees are well paid with generous benefits. Their selfish actions will result in fewer jobs……
The hotel’s should just lock them out for a few months.
In a world with Sepi Shyne as mayor and Unethical Erickson up next, why not pay hotel maids more than book editors and school teachers.
People and workers have a right to protest.
I assume they are being orderly.
The highest minimum wage is obviously not a living wage.
People deserve to be able to pay rent and afford basic needs, plus save for retirement and some enjoyment, whether a housekeeper or a head honcho.
The median rent in WeHo is $3650.
You do the math.
Average Rental Price in West Hollywood, CA & Market Trends | Zillow Rental Manager
Low skilled workers should not expect a living wage. They have the option to get training for some skill that would pay more, which is available at trade and tech schools all over the county. Low wage jobs are intended for students or for those who already have some other major means of support. If wages keep going up there would be no reason for these perfectly capable people to expand their potential to become more than they are. Teenagers and college students can no longer get the kind of jobs I had at that stage in my life because… Read more »
They paid men more than women in the past based on the *fact* that he was the breadwinner.
Not going to justify your statements with a response.
The job needs to be done. It’s not worth much to you, apparently.
Making a bed? No.
It really is shameful how you demean people for their occupation. These people work very hard and clean up mess after mess in hotel rooms. They deal with human waste daily. They deserve to be paid fairly.
uh they are paid fairly, why do you demean the writer. they are paid higher than any other hotel maid in the nation.
I haven’t demeaned you??? I said you should write about what their exact demands are.
Not sure why you have a problem with that.
But it doesn’t surprise me you’re coming to the defense of an anonymous troll commenter saying that housekeepers aren’t worth much.
nope let the facts stand. weho’s housekeepers are well paid and well loved. there has been about zero complaints filed against weho employers in the hotel trade.
There is a class action lawsuit that was filed a month or so ago against these hotels. There have been multiple grievances levied against these managers. “Well loved…”? The housekeepers were the ones who filed the lawsuit! You start this statement with “let the facts stand” and follow with “whatever you think is happening” LIES.
in all the years you can name one lawsuit, that may or may not have merit.
No, they are not. The Bay Area and New York are being paid more. Are just making stuff up?
you are completely wrong, the minimum wage in San Francisco is $18,07 and the minimum wage in NYC is $17, and neither city offer the additional month off paid. are you just making this stuff up?
Unite Here’s website says San Francisco and Boston housekeepers have a starting wage of $24
“Teenagers and college students can no longer get the kind of jobs I had at that stage in my life because those positions are now filled with adults who intend to stay there the rest of their working lives.”
This statement is just simply not true
Okey dokey! Rather than engage with you any further I will just let other readers determine the merit of your claim.
Simply because he said it’s not true. Such a statement would never hold up to academic scrutiny in the absence of any evidence whatsoever. Greeneyedguy has been a fraud in these pages for far too long.
Using “Gimmeabreak”‘s logic, I don’t have to provide proof. because he won’t accept it anyway.
I’m just using his logic!
I wasn’t aware the wehoville comment section (where the moderator allows trolls to comment on people’s weight and appearance, use transphobic slurs, and call the mayor “septic shyne”) was the epicenter for “academic scrutiny”
after that episode at the public comment podium this shit is tame. There is just you, the namby pamby who has nothing else to do then batter each commenter.
Seems like Shyne, Erickson & Byers have created indentured servants. However, the ultimately unfulfilled contract, once the unions have delivered the votes and support that put these compromised people in office, the bargain doesn’t work out for the servant or the residents. Fooled again.🙄😨😱
Can’t wait for next election season’s crop of astroturfed wannabes to sprout up, some of the “new faces” are already getting moldy.
Low-skilled workers have every opportunity to learn a trade at any of the several trade and tech schools here in LA. They are very affordable and are sometimes free. To continue to provide these high wages for menial labor is to enable people to not advance personally in every area of their lives. These kinds of manual labor jobs should be filled by people who are transitioning to something better; certainly not where they stay and expect to live independently from, and to even provide for a family. It is misguided compassion to demand they have a “living wage”, whatever… Read more »
Absolutely correct. Guaranteed subservience in this, touting our “highest minimum wage” and locking in a culture of ignorance and never obtaining self respect.
SPOT ON.
Correct again. Guaranteed ignorant supporters of Shyne, Byers & Erickson as they preach inalienable rights. Read the fine print folks and learn to detect the invisible ink.
Actually this is 100% incorrect.
It’s insane that you think these workers asking to be compensated fairly is “locking in a culture of ignorance and never obtaining self respect.”
It’s quite literally the opposite.
Forever the contrarian. What solutions do you have to offer?
A solution for the hotel worker strike? The hotel companies have to provide a better deal for the Union.
actually, I see that it is posted right above, not below
(Gawd, am I going to regret this!) Just what is “fair compensation”? Who determines that? The implications for paying high wages to someone who makes beds means that everyone else in higher skilled jobs would expect to have their wages increased … to make it fair. The young guy who has advanced in his job through training, experience, and building a good reputation but is making only a little more than what the bed makers want would rightly expect his wage to be higher to distinguish the difference in his job and their’s. And then the guy above him would… Read more »
See my reply to greeneyedguy below. It had been lost in spam since Wednesday and was only just now found and posted.
What message do we send when we pay bed makers more than people who went to college. The corrupt city council, who are owned by the corrupt bullying union, want to pretend act compassionate. How do we explain to a non union medical office worker with a college degree, that a toilet cleaner earns more than they do. Sepi, explain to us how that is fair.
Sepi is unable to explain that as it is beyond her consciousness. Louis and reason are not in her self fulfilling orbit also accessed by Erickson and Byers. Very slim life resumes for these folks other than being world champion complainers and victimizers.
Oops! Logic & Reason……
West Hollywood hotel workers earn the highest minimum wage rate in the nation; Unite Here 11 owns the majority of our city council & they wrote the hotel worker safety ordinance. Come on Unite Here, haven’t you extracted enough from WeHo!?!