Le Merigot Santa Monica is reportedly the first hotel in the city in California, US, to announce a settlement with striking workers who are members of the UNITE HERE Local 11 organisation.
Once the contract is ratified, the hotel’s workers will secure:
- Wage increases that keep pace with the cost of housing in Southern California
- Affordable family healthcare
- Adjusted workloads and safe staffing
- Pension increases
- Equal justice language that, among other things, will provide access to union jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and immigration protections.
Le Merigot Santa Monica is the fifth hotel in the wider Los Angeles area to sign an agreement in this round of contract negotiations over strikes. Others include the Loews Hollywood, the Biltmore Los Angeles and the Westin Bonaventure.
Laundry attendant at Le Merigot Maria Espinoza commented: “I am pleased that we are the first workers in Santa Monica to reach an agreement, paving the way for our sisters and brothers at the other hotels in our city to do the same.”
Le Merigot general manager Jessica Rincon added: “We are proud that we reached this agreement while maintaining a positive relationship with our employees. We look forward to providing the level of service that our discerning clientele expects.”
UNITE HERE Local 11 co-president Kurt Petersen stated: “We have now won standard-setting contracts in downtown LA, Hollywood, Orange County and Santa Monica. There are no excuses for the rest. Workers deserve to share in the prosperity of the tourism industry.”
The trade union has been striking for the majority of 2023, calling in August for a boycott of Los Angeles hotels.
California is one of the top destinations for inbound tourism in the US, promoted by campaigns such as Visit California.
