City Councilman Hugo Soto Martinez today introduced a motion calling on city officials to work on emergency plans to ensure hotel and airport workers return and receive their salaries in order to ensure that referendum efforts have recently been approved into effect this month.
“This motion will calculate the total wages that may be lost due to potential delays and investigate whether the referendum may be eligible for retroactive pay if it is not qualified for the vote, and whether paid signers may be the go-to that may exist in the process if LA voters are misunderstood.
“Companies have made it clear that they are willing to use all the dirty tricks in the book to reverse progress and lower wages. They need to be prepared to get even lower,” Soto Martinez said in a statement.
The allegations will be introduced to the Economic Development and Employment Committee and will then be considered by the entire city council.
The elected officials approved the ordinance in May, providing $30 per hour to hotel and airport workers by 2028. Starting in July, workers are expected to receive $22.50 per hour, with an increase of $2.50 per year over the next three years. Workers will receive healthcare payments of $25 per hour starting July 2026, $27.50 per hour in July 2027, $30 per hour in July 2028, and $8.35 per hour in July 2026, starting July 2026 in time for the Olympics.
Sonia Ceron, Flying Food Group Dishwasher and a member of Unite Here Local 11, supported Soto-Martínez’s move. According to Theron, she is a single mother and by slowing down wage increases, it means she will have a hard time providing her 12-year-old daughter.
“I’ve already done two jobs to protect the roof above our heads and maintain the roof. These losses in wages may be the reason why me and many other families end up on the streets,” Theron said in a statement.
Last week, the office of LA City Clerk announced it had recognized a referendum effort launched by a coalition of airlines, hotels and concessions companies at Los Angeles International Airport. The petition was filed two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the ordinance into the law and four days after the city council granted final approval.
The group will need to collect approximately 93,000 signatures from registered voters in Los Angeles until June 30th to qualify for the June 2026 voting action.
The petitioner may submit more signatures, but it cannot fall under 92,998 valid signatures.
“If 92,998 valid signatures are submitted, the ordinance will be placed on the ballot and will be suspended until approved by voters in the next scheduled general election in June 2026.
Under current law, the ordinance is also suspended while the petition is signed is verified – even if the petition ultimately fails to qualify for the vote.”
Coalition spokesman Phil Singer told the Los Angeles Times that wage increases “will threaten Los Angeles’ needs urgently.”
“Small businesses will be forced to close, workers will lose jobs and economic fallout will spread throughout the city,” Singer told The Times.
In response, members of the Rising Coalition of Tourism Workers, who lobbyed for the minimum wage, launched a campaign called “Protect Wages.” This tolerate the environment of Unit Local 11 and Service Workers West Union and Los Angeles Angels Alliance here. Voters who don’t sign
Petitions and encouraged individuals collect any petitions online online on the Laane website laane.org/olympicwage/ or the hotline at 909-326-0042.
The union claimed that in the two years since the ordinance was introduced, CEOs of Delta, United, Hilton and Marriott have reached more than $330 million in compensation. Petition is majoring
Funding from Delta and United, as well as the American Hotels & Accommodation Association, an industry-grade group.
The union previously led efforts to raise the minimum wage for tourism workers in nearby cities. The minimum wage for hotel workers in Santa Monica increased in 2016, West Hollywood in 2021, Glendale in 2022, and Long Beach in 2024.
“Airlines and hotels want to overturn the living wages to spend millions more than they give workers to workers now,” said David Huerta, president of Seiu-USWW.
Working families in LA will not receive a raise. Don’t conspire. Please don’t sign the CEO petition.”
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