Union and Le Merigot Santa Monica hotel reach tentative labor agreement
The Le Merigot Santa Monica and Unite Here Local 11 have reached a tentative labor agreement — the fifth Southern California hotel to do so since the region’s massive hotel strike began over the July 4th weekend.
Le Merigot joins the Biltmore Los Angeles, Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Loews Hollywood and Laguna Cliffs Marriott.
Maria Espinoza, a laundry attendant of 19 years at Le Merigot, said she’s “thrilled” with the new contract and what it will mean for her family.
“I’m pleased that we are the first workers in Santa Monica to reach an agreement,” the 62-year-old Santa Monica resident said.
Once the contract is ratified, Le Merigot employees will secure:
- Wage increases
- Affordable family healthcare
- More reasonable workloads and additional staffing
- Improved pension increases
- Language that will provide immigration protections and access to union jobs for those who were once incarcerated
“We value our staff tremendously, which this agreement reflects,” Le Merigot General Manager Jessica Rincon said in a statement. “We are proud that we reached this agreement while maintaining a positive relationship with our employees.”
Unite Here Co-President Kurt Petersen said the union has won “standard-setting contracts” in downtown LA, Hollywood, Orange County and Santa Monica.
“There are no excuses for the rest,” he said. “Workers deserve to share in the prosperity of the tourism industry.”
Espinoza, who earns $25 an hour, is hoping for a significant wage increase and will welcome additional staffing at Le Merigot.
“We all feel overworked,” she said. “It’s going to be very helpful to have more people who will help alleviate some of the work — especially after the pandemic.”
Espinoza lives in a rent-controlled apartment that’s only $900 a month, but the extra money will help with food costs, she said.
“That’s my biggest expense,” Espinoza said. “I’m a single mom and I’m also helping to take care of my younger son who’s going to college.”
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., introduced legislation last month that would make striking workers eligible for unemployment insurance benefits after 14 days of striking.
Dubbed the “Empowering Striking Workers Act,” the bill has been endorsed by the United Auto Workers, American Federation of Teachers, Writers Guild of America-West and California Labor Federation, among others.