Editor’s Note: This is an open letter from the Santa Monica Democratic Club to the Santa Monica City Council regarding a living wage.
Mayor O’Connor and members of the Santa Monica City Council:
The OTO hotel projects before you on Tuesday, November 12 are presented with a number of issues identified by the Planning Commission that remain still unresolved. We believe that the general concepts of the project are appropriate for the site and could be beneficial additions to the community, provided these issues are satisfactorily addressed, and we highlight below our concerns relating to how workers are to be treated.
The Santa Monica Democratic Club has a longstanding commitment to the principle that full-time employment should pay living wages, and we have participated in efforts to ensure that workers in our Santa Monica hospitality industry can support themselves and their families without relying on taxpayer-funded assistance.
In keeping with Democratic Party values of just, living wages and worker representation to ensure dignity and job security, we urge you to approve these hotels only with a signed-card check agreement between the hotel operators and union, and a guaranteed wage of no less than $15.37 per hour.
Very truly yours,
Maryanne Solomon
Jay Johnson
Co-Presidents, SMDC
