Los Angeles area hotel workers rallied with celebrities and politicians Thursday to set the stage for potentially contentious contract negotiations across the country later this year.
The negotiations will be a test of the Unite Here union's aggressive strategy that got local contracts in Los Angeles and several other cities to expire this year. That gave the union leverage with national chains such as Hilton Hotels Corp. and Marriott International.
The potential for a nationwide strike could disrupt business and tourism just as the hotel industry is rebounding from a deep slump that persisted long after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Negotiations could turn bitter, given a lockout, strike and harsh rhetoric last year.
In addition to Los Angeles, hotel labor contracts expire this year in Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, New York and Toronto. Unite Here made 2006 expirations a key demand in previous contract talks.
Negotiations will cover more than 50,000 employees at 400 hotels, according to Unite Here. That includes 5,000 workers at more than 25 hotels in Los Angeles, including the Renaissance Hollywood, Hotel Bel-Air and the Sheraton Downtown Los Angeles, where the rally was held.
The focus of the union campaign, which also includes stops by former senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards and actor Danny Glover at rallies in San Francisco, Chicago and Boston this week, is to highlight the working and living conditions of hotel employees such as housekeepers, bell staff and restaurant workers. Union officials said they hoped to lift workers, who often make little more than minimum wage, into the middle class. According to Unite Here, the average hourly wage in nonunion hotels is $7 to $8 versus $15 where workers are unionized.
Edwards, Glover and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa lent their clout to Thursday's Unite Here rally.
The bulk of the union's contracts with major Los Angeles hotels expire in November, though some expire as soon as April.
Union leaders contend that hotel workers deserve a better share of industry profits, which are up strongly along with hotel company stock prices. The union also is seeking to boost its membership within the industry.
Industry analysts say hoteliers are willing to offer better pay up to a point, but say they must avoid the high pension and benefit costs that have plagued the airline and auto industries. Hotel companies contend that the union is trying to coerce nonunion workers to join the union, without giving them the option of voting through a secret ballot.
