LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Union workers in Southern California are continuing to negotiate new contracts with hotel operators, and one hotel is standing out as an unlikely holdout in the bargaining process. The Hyatt Regency LAX, owned by the Southwest Carpenters Pension Trust, is the only hotel not to have reached a collective bargaining agreement with the union representing its workers.
The ongoing contract dispute has resulted in the hotel being placed on a union boycott list, despite the fact that it is owned by a pension fund affiliated with the carpenters union. Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, expressed disappointment with the hotel’s management for choosing to fight rather than agreeing to a deal.
The pension fund purchased the property in 2021 for $75 million and it is listed among the fund’s closely held corporations in its 2022 annual report. However, the union contract at the Hyatt Regency LAX would be with its operator, Aimbridge Hospitality, rather than the pension fund itself.
Despite the challenges, the union remains committed to securing fair wages and benefits for its members. The months-long battle with the 15,000 workers, involving more than 100 rolling strikes and picketing, has been a part of a broader surge in labor activism in the region. The hotel workers have faced occasional violence, and the union has sent letters to police reporting incidents of security guards tackling picketers and workers being shot with an air rifle.
Ricardo Blanco, a union shop steward and long-time employee at the Hyatt Regency LAX, expressed disappointment with the treatment of workers, stating, “They’re not treating us with respect and dignity.” The union continues to call on guests not to patronize hotels with ongoing contract disputes.
These ongoing negotiations highlight the challenges faced by workers in the hospitality industry, and the determination of the union to fight for fair treatment and working conditions for its members.