Santa Monica hotel workers will join congregants at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church (UUCCSM) today, Sept. 1 to speak out about OTO Development.
OTO Development proposes the Courtyard by Marriott to be six stories and 74 feet high with 136 rooms and up to 108 parking spaces in a two-level subterranean garage. If built as proposed, the Courtyard by Marriott would take up as much as 78,750 square feet of floor area at the corner of Fifth and Colorado.
A UUCCSM media advisory said Santa Monica is alive with conversations about new development projects in the city, but many churches, including the UUCCSM, are attempting to change the tone of these conversations.
Partnering with CLUE-LA, they are speaking out to remind developers that any new projects must take into account the quality of jobs created.
“The people of this city have worked hard to raise the bar when it comes to the standard of jobs, and this standard must be upheld,” a media advisory stated. “In honor of Labor Day, UUCCSM is welcoming a current hotel worker to come and share his experiences of working in this industry here in Santa Monica. Right now, he has a good job with security, fair pay, and health benefits. He knows that he can work hard and provide for his family. But this may all be in jeopardy as an outside development company, OTO Development, puts forth proposals for two new hotels that undermine all of these guarantees. So workers within the hotels in Santa Monica are standing up and speaking out, and many Churches and Faith Groups are standing with them.”
The Sunday service featuring the story of a Santa Monica hotel worker will commence at 10 am at 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica.
