UNITE HERE Local 11: In First Lawsuit of Its Kind, Long Beach Housekeepers File Class-Action Against Hyatt Alleging Violations of Hotel Working Conditions Ordinance

Similar Ordinances Protect Hotel Workers in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland, and Other Cities

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, room attendants at the Hyatt Regency filed a class-action lawsuit against their employer alleging violations of the Long Beach Hotel Working Conditions Initiative (“Initiative”), which voters passed into law in November 2018. While similar ordinances have passed in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland, Santa Monica, Emeryville, Glendale, West Hollywood, and recently Irvine, this is the first lawsuit to be brought under one of these “Housekeepers’ Bill of Rights” laws. The workers are represented by Lauren Teukolsky of Teukolsky Law and Zoe Tucker of UNITE HERE Local 11.

The Initiative protects Long Beach hotel employees against the risk of sexual assault by implementing panic buttons and other measures, and it guarantees room attendants fair compensation when their workload exceeds proscribed limits.

The lawsuit filed in California state court alleges that even though the Initiative went into effect in November 2018, Hyatt failed to pay the two plaintiffs and other room attendants double for all hours worked as required by the Initiative when their heavy housekeeping workloads exceeded the set limits. The lawsuit further alleges that due to these heavy workloads, Hyatt room attendants were unable to take all of their legally required 10-minute rest breaks. The complaint also alleges that Hyatt failed to post notices in rooms to inform its guests about the Long Beach protections, which is required by the Initiative.

Plaintiff Michelle Bain, who has worked as a room attendant at the Regency for 19 years, said, “Housekeeping is extremely hard work. My coworkers and I fought to pass this initiative in Long Beach because we deserve fair pay for our workloads, and we are proud that we are finally standing up for the rights that we won.”

“Long Beach room attendants are making history by filing a lawsuit to enforce hotel workload protections for the first time ever. Hotel management everywhere should be on notice that hotel workers will not only fight to pass these laws—they will keep fighting until their rights are fully respected,” says Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11.

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports