Pasadena hotel workers to strike as Rose Parade kicks off
Cooks, room attendants and other workers at the Hilton Pasadena and Hyatt Place Pasadena hotels will walk off the job at dawn on New Year's Eve, just as Pasadena gets ready to host the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game, union officials said Wednesday.
Workers across Los Angeles hotels have been engaged in ongoing labor disputes with employers since July, in what the Unite Here Local 11 union calls the largest hotel worker strike in modern history.
The workers' primary goals include wage increases to keep pace with the soaring cost of housing in Los Angeles, quality and affordable health insurance and humane workloads, according to Unite Here Local 11, which staged walkouts at hotels across Southern California and Arizona over the summer.
Pasadena is home to the Rose Bowl Game and Rose Parade, which take place on Jan. 1. The escalating labor dispute will impact guests of the Hilton and Hyatt Place Pasadena during these events, given that no agreement has been reached at these properties, according to the union.
Unite Here says the strike comes after numerous tentative contract agreements were reached across Los Angeles and Orange counties. Major Marriott and Hilton properties across Southern California, such the JW Marriott and Hilton Irvine, reached agreements with their workers in the past month.
However, Aimbridge and Ensemble have "consistently refused to meet the new hotel contract standards," the union said.
The workers, also including dishwashers, servers, bellmen and front desk agents, will conduct a New Year's Eve parade of their own beginning at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Pasadena, according to the labor union.
