Protesters call for improved treatment of hotel employees

Monday, May 4, 1998

Protesters call for improved treatment of hotel employees

POLITICS: Job security, wage increase desired as part of new
contract

By Katie Sierra

Daily Bruin Contributor

On Thursday, management at the Bel Air Hotel physically removed
a small group of activists, including UCLA graduate students and
faculty, who were protesting the mistreatment of hotel
employees.

The group circulated fliers and began to urge the Bel Air Hotel
to renew employee contracts by the upcoming deadline, April 15.
When management learned of their intent, they forced the group,
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), to leave.

The new contract includes a wage increase of six thousand
dolllars over six years, a promise of job security, and an increase
in domestic partner benefits.

The new contract will effect all of the hotel and restaurant
employees in the local 11 area.

The only two hotels who have resisted signing are the Bel Air
and the Summit Rodeo Hotel.

Union representative, James Elmendorf says that the Bel Air has
not signed yet because they are resisting the job security
improvements outlined in the contract.

These improvements call for a complete ban on sub-contracting.
The contract also prevents hotels from firing their workers after
the hotel has been sold to a new company.

"The Bel Air was just named the number one hotel in the world.
Why is it that they are last in providing good working conditions
for their workers?" Elmendorf asked

After the protest on Thursday, the management refused to comment
to the press, but did make a private statement to the
protesters.

Dick Gillett, an Episcopalian minister and director of CLUE,
says that management assured the group that they had reached an
agreement with the union.

On Saturday the union said that they have still failed to reach
an agreement with the hotel.

CLUE has held numerous protests which have been successful in
getting hotels around the Westwood coummunity to sign the new
contracts.

"Many of the social problems and concerns we experience today
are rooted in economic disparity in the community," said Mary Brent
Wehrli, a spokesperson for CLUE and UCLA professor who recently won
Social Worker of the year.

Melinda London, a first year Master in Social Welfare student at
UCLA, said that her work in South Central LA is what influenced her
to take action.

"It all comes back to realizing that we have middle class
lenses. For many people, quarters and dollars mean the difference
between paying the rent, eating a meal, or getting on the bus,"
London said.

All of the protestors agreed that the main reason for their
presence was to speak out for those who could not. Many hotel
workers keep quiet because they don’t want to risk losing their
jobs.

The restaurant staff showed their appreciation to the group on
Thursday when they refused to accept the group’s gratuity.

Gillett said that the group attended the hotel with peaceful
intentions, he was surprised by the management’s reaction.

"They were a little heavy-handed with us. We are members of the
religious community. It’s a little disturbing, the extreme they
took of putting their hands on us," Gillett said.

Union members are unclear about their future. At the Summit
Rodeo, employees have been working without a contract for two
years. Bel Air emlployees hope to negotiate a solution to avoid the
same situation.