Loud protests have been taking place at the JW Marriott in downtown Los Angeles as hospitality workers continue to strike for fair compensation and working conditions.
Some USC students waiting for their off-campus housing to be ready are currently staying at hotels like the JW Marriott and the Moxy, and some said they are having a hard time because of constant noise from protestors.
“I’ve never seen a louder or more intense strike, especially where I’m living,” said USC theater sophomore Olivia Stone. “It is very disruptive when I’m trying to study or sleep. However, I very much admire how persistent they are, and they really are making it known that they are unhappy.”
Because of the strike, students said they are also having difficulties getting rides to school as workers block intersections and entrances to the hotel. Sophomore political science major Liana Stoll said it is making the area somewhat unsafe, as protesters are blocking areas near the hotel that people need access to, such as parking facilities.
“I strongly believe in the right to protest, but not when it inconveniences people to a degree where it is unsafe for them to drive their car in and out of the hotel premises,” Stoll said. “I have tried to get to school and have been blocked from turning into the parking area which therefore almost caused me to be T-boned by oncoming traffic.”
While some students have been disrupted by the downtown Los Angeles hotel worker strike, strike leaders said the real disruption has been the lack of benefit for those involved in the UNITE HERE movement.
UNITE HERE is a workers union that represents a total of 32,000 people in the hospitality and tourism industries across Southern California and Arizona. Maria Hernandez, an organizer with UNITE HERE Local 11 union, said the workers are striking for “better wages, pension contributions and safer working conditions,” as well as a hospitality workforce housing fund.
UNITED HERE represents about 15,000 workers, who are currently striking 60 hotels “for a fair contract,” Hernandez said. The workers are asking for a $5 hourly wage increase effective immediately.
Hotels received $14 billion in federal bailouts during the COVID pandemic, with some facilities cutting jobs and guest services like daily room cleaning. Although 2023 hotel revenues in Los Angeles and Orange County exceeded pre-pandemic levels, hospitality workers said they are still struggling to afford a sufficient place to live as housing costs soar.
“The companies have really been bargaining in bad faith,” Hernandez said. “They’ve gone backwards in their proposal. In reality, all workers are asking for just wages to help people keep up with the rising costs, because many of them are barely hanging on to housing or having to commute two, three hours [to work].”
In a UNITE HERE Local 11 survey, 53% of workers said that they have moved within the past five years or will move in the future. Hotel workers have even commuted from cities that are hours away, like Apple Valley, Palmdale, California City and Victorville.
Some people outside of the UNITE HERE organization are in support of their aim for more suitable living conditions as well.
Amidst the protests, Lionel Messi and the Inter Miami soccer team were set to stay at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel but canceled their stay and stood with striking workers by moving hotels.
Workers have called for conventions, who are major contributors to revenue in the hotel industry, to join their boycott
The strikes started right before the citywide convention of the American Political Science Association. After APSA leadership denied requests by hospitality workers to cancel the convention, some APSA members decided not to attend.
The University of California’s largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 3299, and the Service Employees International Union, Local 99, also joined them in this request.