-

Hospitality Workers’ Union, UNITE HERE Local 11, Files Initiative for the Nation’s Highest Minimum Wage in Santa Monica

Hotel workers call on the city to pass a $30 minimum wage

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, UNITE HERE Local 11 filed an initiative in Santa Monica that would require hotels to pay their workers $30 an hour. Citing the housing crisis, the union is demanding employers pay a living wage so that workers can afford to live near where they work. The proposed law would be the highest minimum wage in the country.

Workers are demanding further wage increases in large part due to rising housing prices. In a UNITE HERE Local 11 survey, 53% of workers said that they either have moved in the past 5 years or will move in the near future because of soaring housing costs. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a single mother would need to make over $40 an hour to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in the Los Angeles area, still well above the proposed minimum wage. Meanwhile, the hotel industry in Santa Monica is booming with rates above $600 a night and revenue exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

The union is also fighting for higher wages in other cities in the region. Cities like West Hollywood have raised their minimum wages and others like Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Long Beach are also pushing similar legislation.

“I have to work two jobs to be able to live in Santa Monica. Some coworkers live all the way out in Palmdale, Lancaster, San Bernardino or Riverside,” said Salvador Garcia, a Santa Monica resident and hotel worker who is serving as one of the official proponents of the initiative. “I signed onto this initiative so that more of us would have the opportunity to live nearby.”

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

Contacts

Jonah Breslau, jbreslau@unitehere11.org, 773 603 5174

Industry:

UNITE HERE Local 11

Release Versions
English

Contacts

Jonah Breslau, jbreslau@unitehere11.org, 773 603 5174

More News From UNITE HERE Local 11

On Eve of Trial, Flying Food Group Admits to Violating Worker Rights, in Settlement of Major Labor Case Says UNITE HERE Local 11

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Flying Food Group, an airline caterer for major airlines that has been at the center of controversy for allegations of unsafe conditions and labor abuse, agreed to settle a high-profile case at the National Labor Relations Board. In a highly unusual step, Flying Food Group was required to admit that it had violated workers’ federal labor law protections as part of the settlement. The outcome is considered a major victory for workers who have been speaking out about...

UNITE HERE Local 11: Fair Games Coalition Calls for Investigation into Dodgy Deal between Casey Wasserman and LA28 Board Member and Former Trump Banker’s Firm

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fair Games Coalition is calling for an immediate investigation into a potential conflict of interest involving LA28 leadership, following reports that LA28 Board Chair Casey Wasserman retained Moelis & Company to advise on the sale of his estimated $800 million stake in Wasserman Media Group. Moelis & Company is led by Ken Moelis, an LA28 Board member and Executive Chairman of the firm, raising serious concerns about whether LA28 leadership is using its...

Governing Body at LAX Calls on Flying Food Group to Respond to Safety Concerns Following Fire, Says UNITE HERE Local 11

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following a fire and other serious issues, the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has launched an investigation into Flying Food Group for potential violations of its permit and the airport’s Contractor Responsibility Policy. LAWA has formally called for the company to respond to a range of allegations over many years, punctuated most recently in Cal/OSHA complaints concerning a fire that broke out at the facility on January 22, 2026, the second in four months at th...
Back to Newsroom