Hotels forced to pay employees $13/hr plan layoffs

[tsai3904]

Long Beach hotels plan layoffs before living wage takes effect

One week before a new minimum wage law for Long Beach hotels goes into effect, two hotels have told employees to expect layoffs of as many as 75 people, according to union representatives.

At a confrontation with union activists Friday, a manager at one of the hotels, the Best Western Golden, denied that a local ballot measure triggered the cuts. He said bad economic conditions were to blame.

In November, Long Beach voters approved a measure requiring hotels with 100 or more rooms to pay their employees $13 an hour.

In a letter to employees posted at the hotel Monday, the Best Western said it planned to downsize and reopen under new management. Although the letter said some employees would eventually be retained, it said all employees would be without a job as of Saturday and would be eligible for $1,000 severance packages.

“All employees will be considered terminated after their last shift of duty on or before December 15, 2012,” reads the letter from General Manager Matthew Daniel.

Hotel workers and protesters confronted Daniel at a restaurant Friday morning. He blamed the economy, not the ballot measure, and declined to discuss the matter further.

When he walked away, the protesters followed him through the hotel chanting, "Si se puede."

Earlier this month, the 140-room Hotel Current told employees it would scale back to 99 rooms to avoid the wage increase. Hotel managers could not be immediately be reached for comment.

Before election day, Long Beach business leaders warned of cutbacks if the measure passed, but the living wage provision for all hotel workers won the approval of 64% of voters anyway.

More:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/long-beach-hotels-living-wage-minimum.html

 

[Cowlesy]

That's some inflation. When I worked banquets/houseman jobs at a hotel/resort, we were paid $5.15/hr. And I had to drive my SUV 25min each way to get there. Made me hustle for those tips.

 

[tttppp]

More:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/long-beach-hotels-living-wage-minimum.html

If you are going to make silly laws like this, you might as well go all out and require hotel owners to give you all their money. Why stop at 13 dollars and hour?

 

[tttppp]

That's some inflation. When I worked banquets/houseman jobs at a hotel/resort, we were paid $5.15/hr. And I had to drive my SUV 25min each way to get there. Made me hustle for those tips.

Working at a hotel doesn't seem like a bad job. Why would they deserve salary protection? I worked my butt off in the movie theatre business for 7-11 dollars an hour. I don't see why they deserve more than I got.

 

[oyarde]

That is like Australian minimum wage , crazy, sorry about all the lost jobs, thank your local govt.

 

[oyarde]

Working at a hotel doesn't seem like a bad job. Why would they deserve salary protection? I worked my butt off in the movie theatre business for 7-11 dollars an hour. I don't see why they deserve more than I got.

I never go to a theatre, so maybe the hotel people need more than 7 ,WTH ? LOL

 

[tttppp]

I never go to a theatre, so maybe the hotel people need more than 7 ,WTH ? LOL

Whatever happened to if you don't like your job, then just quit. The employer is not obligated to keep you on staff and happy your whole life.

 

[awake]

The Hotels simply get demonized as evil greedy bastards by the half wits. The economic lesson of min. wage laws is beyond them.

 

[oyarde]

I was kidding , I do not believe in minimum wage .Well , I really do avoid the theatre .They have great hot dogs though, like the football stadium.

 

[tttppp]

I was kidding , I do not believe in minimum wage .Well , I really do avoid the theatre .They have great hot dogs though, like the football stadium.

We really shouldn't be picking winners and losers. These people deserve more money than others. That makes not sense. In actuallity its the ones with the min wage laws that lose because they lose their jobs.

 

[tod evans]

When hotels become unprofitable what happens?

 

[economics102]

I applaud the hotel for teaching the local government about cause and effect.

I only wish the hotel had the stones to admit the layoffs were because of the wage law.

 

[UWDude]

So the hotels raise their rates a couple bucks a night. It's not like it would make a big deal to go from $98 a night to $100 a night.

I only wish the hotel had the stones to admit the layoffs were because of the wage law.

Why wouldn't they if it were true?

 

[tod evans]

So the hotels raise their rates a couple bucks a night. It's not like it would make a big deal to go from $98 a night to $100 a night.

And if the public refuses to patronize them they could always be subsidized....

sarc//

 

[oyarde]

I never pay $100 for a hotel , probably have only done that twice in my life. Once , I did not make the reservation.Yes , I would go somewhere else , rates are decieving already , usually more than 10 percent taxes and fees in many .

 

[New York For Paul]

Economy seems to be collapsing. Public Storage is slashing some rates more than fifty percent as many small businesses use the storage facilities.

 

[specsaregood]

So the hotels raise their rates a couple bucks a night. It's not like it would make a big deal to go from $98 a night to $100 a night.

I rather enjoy it when people clueless about the internals of a business or running a business in general make such broad statements.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Unions destroying their own jobs and kicking everyone else out of having the opportunity to have jobs? Sounds like what happened in Detroit aka motor city.

 

[dannno]

When hotels become unprofitable what happens?

Sounds like opening a hotel in Long Beach with 99 rooms might be a smart move right now.

 

[Jordan]

Sounds like opening a hotel in Long Beach with 99 rooms might be a smart move right now.

This.