UNITE HERE Local 11 has launched a major power grab in West Hollywood that would strip City Council’s power to make adjustments to minimum wage rates in the city. The labor union is leading an effort to force West Hollywood residents to vote on whether to cement current wage and employment laws for hotel employees into the city’s municipal code, preventing future changes without voter approval. The City Attorney’s Office has released the official title and summary of a proposed initiative measure that seeks to reenact and safeguard the city’s existing ordinances concerning hotel worker protections and the local minimum wage.
The initiative aims to permanently establish the current regulations found in Chapter 5.127 of the West Hollywood Municipal Code. These rules mandate several protections for hotel workers, including:
Hotel employers must provide electronic contact devices that workers can use to summon help and report threatening behavior. Employers are also required to train workers on their use and cannot retaliate against workers who report such conduct.
The ordinance limits the amount of square footage hotel workers can be required to clean in an eight-hour shift. For most hotels, this limit is 4,000 square feet. For larger hotels with more than 40 rooms, the limit drops to 3,500 square feet, unless the employer compensates workers at double their usual rate for the additional work.
Hotel workers cannot be required to work more than 10 hours in a single day unless they give written consent after being informed of their right to refuse.
During the COVID-19 emergency, laid-off hotel workers were given priority for rehire when positions became available. While this provision expired in April 2024, the City Council could renew it during future emergencies.
When a hotel changes ownership, the new owner must prioritize rehiring workers from the previous operator for at least 90 days after reopening.
In addition to the above, the initiative seeks to reinforce Sections 5.130.020, 5.130.030, and 5.130.050 of the West Hollywood Municipal Code, which provide workers with the following protections:
The local minimum wage is currently $19.61 for hotel workers and $19.08 for non-hotel workers, with automatic annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The ordinance also requires a minimum amount of paid and unpaid leave for sick time, vacation, and personal use. Hotels must fairly distribute service charges to the workers who perform the service.
While this initiative does not alter the substantive provisions of these laws, it would reenact them as an initiative measure. If it gains enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and either (1) the City Council adopts it outright or (2) voters approve it, future amendments would require voter approval unless the changes offer greater protections or benefits to hotel workers.
For this initiative to qualify, proponents must collect signatures from at least 10% of registered voters in West Hollywood. If they succeed, the City Council could adopt the measure without an election or place it on the ballot for the voters to decide. Should the measure pass, future City Councils would be restricted from making changes unless the amendments align with the initiative’s terms.
The petition may be circulated by either paid signature gatherers or volunteers, and residents are advised to ask about this when approached. Signers must be registered voters in West Hollywood.
It seems the leadership of Unite Here fears the democratic process unless their vice grip is tilting the scales. The corrupting power of money in politics has reached an intolerable zenith throughout the Los Angeles region and this power play must be exposed for its malignancy on democracy.
Agree with their proposals or not, Unite Here has an unhealthy grip on our local democratic processes. Much like the teachers union, they function more like shock troops for ideological political powers than as authentic worker-led collectives. West Hollywood has had enough.
Teacher’s unions exist to keep bad teachers in their jobs, and they have extraordinary political power taking positions on issues that have nothing to do with teachers they claim to represent. Unite Here uses their support for workers as a guise to gain that same power for purposes that have nothing to do with their workers.
Yes, make them harder to increase the minimum wage. Minimum wage, like rent control, is an absolute scam. Unite Here is a government-symbiote scam group, meant to strong arm businesses into compliance with the next Current Thing. Like all communists, they’re never satisfied and want all of your property. And they’re tied into the government because they’re very powerful. Try criticizing them under your own name online, they might just go through a proxy in government to get your employer to have a stern talking-to with you.
For some fifty years I maintained a membership in the Seafarers Union (in case I wanted to run away from home). Early on, the singular reason I joined was because the union offered education and assistance in raising me from ordinary seaman to able-bodied, then to boatswain. Plumbers and electricians unions also offer strøng apprentice programs for members. As far as I can tell unite Here local 11 is simply a mob of ultra-progressives bent more on causing chaos than enabling and educating its member. It is, then, less than progressive.
Unite Here is not content to be a union serving its’ members but aspires to be a regional power broker for the benefit of it’s “leadership”. Why would a labor union actively lobby to “de-fund” law enforcement? They control a couple of LA City Council seats, a member of the Board of Supervisors and now a majority on the WeHo City Council. If the last four years in West Hollywood is any indication of the quality of elected officials they impose upon us, we are in big trouble.
Do a little research. Unite Here across all their locals has increased wages and benefits for its members and has gained great wins for worker safety.
Yes, Unite Here racked up a big win for their membership in LA this year. But it seems that the residents of West Hollywood are fated to be ruled by inexperienced and ill equipped Council members who are imposed on us by Unite Here’s heavy handed investment in our elections. I can applaud their work to improve the lives of working people but what does that have to do with reducing the number of traffic lanes on Fountain?
Steve, it just happens the same candidates who support the union also for some reason support changing traffic patterns. At the end of the day though, Unite Here is just supporting candidates who support the union. Also Unite has won a lot for its members in many cities outside of Southern California.
The wins on behalf of their members are great; however, they were not attained through negotiating with companies, but rather through buying influence and owning officeholders who do their bidding. When officeholders are in the pocket of any other interest group we cry foul and we should do the same with the tilted scales occasioned by Unite Here’s influence purchasing.
Maybe you should do a little research. I see for rent signs all over West Hollywood. You and your ilk need to take some business courses. What’s good for hotel workers is not necessarily good for all businesses especially small businesses. You are probably the first to complain about exorbitant prices of food and alcohol at restaurants and bars in Weho. Why don’t we just raise the minimum wage to $25/hour so we can put even more small businesses out of business.
I do not consider this a power grab.
Why do you?
Unite Here! The worst thing to happen to West Hollywood….ever. If residents were smart, they would not support this. Steve Martin said it best below.
City voters will decide this, so what’s the issue. If you want it, vote yes, if you oppose it, vote no. Pretty simple.
While I support the hotel worker wage and work place protections, this is really a bad way to make policy. Soon developers will be collecting signatures to by-pass unfavorable City rulings; it opens a can of worms as it is highly unlikely the current ordinance would be repealed by the City Council. As it turned out, a signature gatherer showed up at my door with this measure; after giving her presentation, she went on to urge me to vote for John Erickson and Danny Hang for City Council. The inference is that other candidates are anti-union and would repeal the… Read more »
This alone is enough to have me vote for candidates not supported by the ‘labor’ union.
Sounds like Unite11 strikes again and gave someone at city hall a nice campaign contribution again.
Don’t act surprised when West Hollywood Hotels are the first in the country to replace housekeepers with robots.