Bill Clinton Backs Hotel Workers, Skips Century Plaza Lunch
Los Angeles Garment & Citizen - March 9, 2005

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton stood with members of Unite Here Local 11 last week, prompting the sponsors of a luncheon affair to move the event from the Century Plaza Hotel-one of a handful of establishments in the area engaged in a standoff with hotel workers over a new labor agreement.

The Association of Southern California Defense Counsels, a prominent lawyers' group, shifted its March 4 luncheon to the Beverly Hilton Hotel, which is not involved in the standoff with Local 11.

Local 11 members cheered Clinton's decision, which followed a recent union win that saw hotel operators restore a $10-a-week healthcare benefit that had been cut off for several months.

"We applaud the courage and support from former President Clinton and our elected leaders and organizations who have supported our fight for healthcare and decent wages for our hard work," said Rocksand Ramirez, a housekeeper at the Century Plaza Hotel, in a press release from the union.

"Nothing compares to our family health benefits," said Aida Marmol, a housekeeper at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. "We will never give up fighting to make sure our children can be healthy and get the treatment they deserve."

The hotel workers have been without a contract for nearly a year, and the standoff has shown few signs of movement recently. Local 11 is pushing for gains on wages and benefits, but the major sticking point appears to the be timing of the contract. The union wants to align Local 11's contract with several colleague organizations throughout the country-a move that would provide more leverage in future negotiations with hotels that operate locations in multiple markets. The hotels involved in the standoff-which have gathered under the banner of the Los Angeles Hotel Employers Council-have resisted the move to align the contract dates.

Clinton's decision to request the shift from the Century Plaza Hotel adhered to a boycott that union members have been pressing in recent months. Other elected officials and organizations have also opted to observe the boycott, including the California Democratic Party, which recently shifted its state convention from the Millennium Biltmore Hotel at 5th Street and Grand Avenue. Various elected officials have also decided to observe the boycott.

Fred Muir, a spokesperson for the Hotel Employers Council, said the group regrets the boycott because it hurts union members.

"The union has been harassing clients of the hotels," Muir said. "But, unfortunately, the people who are hurt the most by this are the hotel employees-union members-whose incomes are wages and tips they earn at these events."

The hotels beside the Century Plaza that are engaged in the standoff include: the Regent Beverly Wilshire, Sheraton Universal, Hyatt West Hollywood, Hyatt Downtown, Wilshire Grand Hotel, and the Westin Bonaventure.

More News About the Los Angeles Hotel Workers' Struggle for a Fair Contract >>