The recently announced agreement on a new contract for hotel workers at the downtown Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles was only one deal, but it mattered. It has raised hopes among union members for favorable outcomes with the nearly 60 other area hotels where they work — and where they have authorized summer strikes, including the new wave of walkouts that began in the early hours of July 10.
The Bonaventure, after all, is the biggest hotel in L.A., and its deal with UNITE HERE Local 11 covers more than 600 room attendants, cooks, servers, front desk agents and more. Its agreement to significantly raise wages and benefits proves that “the industry can do this,” the union said in a news release. “Now it is time for other corporations to follow suit.”
