The Hotel Is One of Five Hotels in the Charter City That Are Still in a Labor Dispute
By Zach Armstrong
A rally is planned for Friday, March 29 where hotel workers will speak out on harassment they allegedly endured while working at Hampton Inn and Suites Santa Monica.
A release from Unite Here Local 11 states that two female workers submitted complaints to the California Civil Rights Department, claiming that their employer failed to respond to the matter. One of the women says that, after reporting the persistent harassment she experienced to management, the hotel retaliated by firing her.
“I was faced with frequent verbal abuse, including being called a sexist slur by a valet attendant,” said worker Maritza Villeda in the release. “When I brought up these issues to the general manager on at least five different occasions, as far as I know nothing was done to fix the situation. After I complained about an especially horrible incident of verbal abuse, I was fired.”
The hotel did not immediately respond to inquiry from Mirror Media Group.
Hampton Inn and Suites Santa Monica is one of five hotels in the charter city that are still in a labor dispute.
Earlier this week, a new union contract was ratified at 34 hotels after months of negotiations with striking workers. Under the agreement, which was described by Unite Here Local 11 as “historic”, those workers are set to see a wage increase of up to 50%, provisions that ensure fair workloads and low-cost healthcare coverage for their families.
Other Santa Monica hotels that still haven’t reached an agreement with striking workers are Courtyard Marriott Santa Monica, Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica, Proper Hotel Santa Monica and Viceroy Santa Monica.
The rally is planned at 11 a.m. at 501 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA.
