THE ANGEL–(BUSINESS WIRE) – The Southern California Hotel Workers Union today launched a new website, COVIDHotelGrade.org, to educate Los Angeles County hotel guests about which hotels have important guarantees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Newsom’s recent announcement that restaurant and travel restrictions are gradually being lifted, as well as the persistence of high COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southern California, have made the need for improved protocols to protect workers and the traveling public even more urgent.
COVIDHotelGrade.org lists a number of top Southern California hotels and assigns them letters based on whether they have:
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Enforceable COVID-19 safety rights negotiated with worker representatives to ensure safe practices such as face covering and other protective gear, paid time to wash hands, frequent cleaning of public areas, and training on safety and prevention of COVID-19.
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Health insurance for workers guaranteed in an agreement with workers’ representatives so that workers and their families receive the care they need during the pandemic.
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Enforceable worker recall rights to ensure experienced workers can return to work, while workers with specific COVID-19 vulnerabilities can delay their return.
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A voice in the workplace for workers through a recognized union that provides the support and protection workers need to raise concerns about the safety of COVID-19.
“The pandemic has been devastating for our members,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11 and chief negotiator for the Southern California hotel industry. “The loss of income and the risk of exposure to the virus last for almost a year. We have said that the reopening of the hotel industry must be safe for our members. They deserve to be protected, and so do the public. COVIDHotelGrade.org will help us with this. ”
“I feel better working at the JW Marriott in the DTLA knowing the company has signed an agreement to introduce additional cleaning protocols and protections,” said Yesenia Ortiz, banquet server at the JW Marriott in downtown LA. “With my second job at Langham Huntington Pasadena, we don’t have the same guarantees.”
As until now well documentedThe pandemic has hit the color communities and the immigrant community particularly hard. The majority of the members of Local 11 are women and colored people, including many immigrants. LA County continues to have the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country.
UNITE HERE Local 11 brings together more than 32,000 workers in hotels, restaurants, airports, sports arenas and convention centers in Sun. California & Arizona.
