Tourism workers win higher wages ahead of Olympics
- AR
- Dec 12, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 13
By Ava Rosate
In a 12-3 vote following more than five hours of discussion, The Los Angeles City Council voted to gradually increase wages and improve health care benefits for hotel and airport workers ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Stationed outside of City Hall since Monday, 28 tourism workers embarked on a three-day hunger strike to demand action and spotlight the urgent need to pass The Los Angeles Olympic Wage Ordinance.
The olympic wage is intended to spur job creation and stimulate the local economy by encouraging workers to spend money in the region. It will only apply to employees at Los Angeles International Airport and workers at hotels with 60 or more rooms.
Organized by Tourism Workers Rising Los Angeles — the campaign consisted of a coalition of dozens of labor, faith-based and community organizations who garnered widespread endorsement from 360 small businesses, 16 neighborhood councils and 13 political leaders.
The Olympic Wage Ordinance, first proposed in April of last year by Councilmembers Curren Price, Hugo Soto-Martinez and others, would amend The Living Wage Ordinance and The Hotel Workers Minimum Wage Ordinance to increase hourly wages to $22.50 an hour by February 1st, gradually increasing to $30 by 2028. A weekly health care benefit of $8.35 would also be provided.
The Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research Center was directed by The Chief Legislative Analyst to study the economic impacts from incrementally raising both wages to $30 an hour. The study broadly found that the benefits of raising both wages far outweigh the costs, as workers would likely spend their earnings in the city or in neighboring jurisdictions.
Councilmembers against the proposal, John Lee, Staci Park and Monica Rodriguez, argued that wage hikes would cause job loss and harm the hotel industry, as well as first generation owned businesses that have not financially recovered from the pandemic. During public comment, business executives and hotel owners pushed back against the ordinance, agreeing that increased wages would impact hotel contracts with the 2028 Olympics.
Pressing the issue, Councilman Lee challenged, “Help me understand, why don't we pay everyone a hundred dollars an hour? Why don't we pay our very own employees the same exact amount that we are proposing? Colleagues I’ll tell you why — we can't afford to.”
Multiple amendments introduced by Lee, Park and Rodriguez were all shot down in separate votes. The amendments sought alternate pay increases and health benefit plans that would represent more compromise for the hotel industry.
Following the wave of new amendments, Soto-Martinez expressed his frustration – “We have discussed this item for many hours. We were one vote away from doing this, and in a very coordinated way a flurry of amendments came in. It’s an embarrassment we are acting this way.”
“Procedurally this was a mess. It has completely disregarded everybody who is effected by these policies,” Councilwoman Rodriguez voiced her disapproval for the procedure. “It’s a failure of process and a failure to include everybody effected by these policies.”
After disdain was expressed on both sides of the vote, the council made their decision.
Cheers and chants rung through the chambers as dozens of workers and supporters flooded out onto Spring Street. The 28 union members broke their fast with bread and juice, followed by congratulatory remarks by union leaders and supporters.
“When we fight, we win,” Soto-Martinez declared outside of city hall.
From here, the city attorney will draft the ordinance to implement the wage boost and it will return to city council next year for the final vote.
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