More Hotel Strikes Loom As Union Pushes New Agreements

A strike is looming at a handful of LA and Orange County hotels as part of larger efforts by the hotel workers union Unite Here Local 11 to get all contracted hotels to sign new agreements with the union.

On Saturday, the union announced that nine Marriott locations and the Hilton Irvine had signed agreements. The Marriotts are the Irvine Marriott, W Hotel Westwood, SLS Beverly Hills, Westin LAX, Sheraton Grand DTLA, JW Marriott LA Live, Ritz-Carlton LA Live, Courtyard Marriott DTLA and Residence Inn DTLA.

The union represents about 15,000 hotel housekeepers, cooks, servers, dishwashers and front desk workers at just over 60 hotel properties in LA and Orange counties. 

Workers at the Sheraton Park Anaheim, which Aimbridge operates, walked out on strike Wednesday. A Saturday deadline for eight union hotels operated by Aimbridge Hospitality passed without those hotels signing agreements. As a result, the union confirmed to Bisnow that workers at Aimbridge hotels walked out on strike Sunday.

Unite Here Local 11 co-President Kurt Petersen had declined to offer details Friday about what would happen if Aimbridge missed the deadline, but he made it clear there would be repercussions.

“We're not disclosing when it will happen, how long it will go on, but suffice it to say, if they don't settle, we're coming,” Petersen told Bisnow on Friday. 

Petersen declined to share details about walkout locations and the durations of work stoppage actions because these are part of the tactics union leaders and members use to push ownership to the table. 

A spokesperson for Aimbridge said Friday in an emailed statement to Bisnow, “We remain focused on reaching an agreement with the union that puts our associates’ best interests at the center.” 

Because hotels have multiple owners and operators, the union has to sign new agreements for workers at each hotel, a slow process that has been underway since July, causing disruptions to the hospitality industry that is still working to rebound from the pandemic.

Hotels affected by strikes have in some cases struggled to fill the void during those work cessations. In October, the Los Angeles Times published an article detailing the recruitment of migrants from Skid Row shelters to work in Unite Here Local 11 hotels where workers had gone on strike. 

There are hints that the strike may be heading toward a resolution. Earlier this month, four Hilton hotels signed union agreements, the LA Times reported: the Beverly Hilton, the Waldorf Astoria, the Hilton Anaheim and the Hilton Costa Mesa. All the tentative agreements still have to be ratified, but once official, they will include pay increases and family healthcare. 

According to the union, 20 hotels out of roughly 60 have signed agreements to date. The LA Times reported three of four of the Hiltons that signed on earlier this month belonged to a “coordinated bargaining group said to represent owners and operators of more than 40 Southern California properties,” giving hope to union leaders that, with the arrival of the holidays and Oscar season, motivation was growing among hoteliers to sign agreements. 

“It boggles our mind. What [Aimbridge] are holding out for, we're not sure, because it's clear that the end is in sight,” Petersen said.