Century Hotel Workers Celebrate Living Wage and Four Points Victory and Call for Diversity at LAX Hilton

A day after the California State Supreme Court ruling upholding the Los Angeles city ordinance requiring hotels near LAX to pay their employees a living wage, 350 elected officials, clergy, community leaders and hotel workers rallied in front of the LAX Hilton to call for good jobs and equal opportunity in the hotel industry on Century Boulevard.

The April 11th event was the first major public gathering to address the declining number of African Americans in the hotel industry. Over the past several years, labor, religious and civil rights leaders in Los Angeles have sought to reverse this trend by pushing for commitments from hotels to guarantee workforce diversity.

“Forty years ago, Dr. King gave his life fighting for economic justice for the sanitation workers,” said Mitch Williams, President of the Inglewood NAACP, who was joined by California State Assemblymember Curren Price, Inglewood City Councilmember Danny Tabor and Inglewood School Board Member Trina Williams at the rally. “I am proud to be here today to fight for equal rights and economic justice for the Century Boulevard hotel workers.”

On Century Boulevard, the LAX Hilton has drawn much attention for its longstanding battle with workers and community leaders. The hotel, which has been the target of a worker-initiated boycott since August 2006, is the third-largest hotel in Southern California and an anchor of the LAX hospitality industry.

In contrast, four days later, workers and management of the Four Points Sheraton agreed on a contract that includes a commitment to increase African American hiring at the hotel, as well as a substantial pay increase. This is the second hotel on Century Boulevard to sign a diversity agreement with its workers. More than fifteen hotels citywide have signed such an agreement.

The State Supreme Court ruling and the new contract at the Four Points Sheraton are victories in a campaign launched two years ago to lift workers out of poverty and revitalize Century Boulevard, where most of the hotels are located.

Hotels near LAX enjoy the highest occupancy rates in Los Angeles, yet many workers in these hotels still live in poverty. Hotel workers in the LAX area earn 20% less than their counterparts in downtown L.A. Average annual earnings for LAX area workers is $20,328 – barely above the $20,000 federal poverty threshold for a family of four.

“My family and I are living paycheck to paycheck,” said Isabel Brentner, a housekeeper at the LAX Hilton and the sole provider for her children. “I came to this country believing in the American Dream, that I can work hard and provide a good life for my family, but it’s difficult for me to make ends meet on what I’m getting paid.”