Employees Secure Unprecedented Benefits and Key Benefits
By Dolores Quintana
In a significant breakthrough, hundreds of employees, including housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, servers, and front desk workers at the Beverly Hilton, have reached a tentative agreement, bringing an end to a months-long labor dispute. The hotel and the union are delighted to announce the resolution just before the upcoming awards season, following recent labor disputes within the actors’ and writers’ communities.
The joint statement says, “UNITE HERE Local 11 and the Beverly Hilton are pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement. Together, the iconic Beverly Hilton and its employees set the stage for the awards season, and we are delighted to be able to do so once again.”
Ana Cortez, a housekeeper at the Beverly Hilton, expressed her satisfaction, stating, “This new contract will allow me to spend more time with my kids and retire with dignity. I am proud of all my coworkers for sticking together, and we will make sure our sisters and brothers in other Beverly Hills hotels get the same.”
Upon ratification, the agreement will provide workers at the Beverly Hilton with several key benefits, including unprecedented wage increases to keep up with rising housing costs, affordable and comprehensive family healthcare, humane workloads with safe staffing, improved pension increases for dignified retirements, and numerous enhancements such as historic Equal Justice language. The latter will facilitate access to union jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and introduce unprecedented protections for immigrant workers.
The Beverly Hilton marks a notable milestone as the first hotel in Beverly Hills and the sixth overall to reach a tentative agreement.
Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, remarked, “Hotel workers at the Beverly Hilton are eager to kick off the awards season now that Hollywood is back in full swing because they have a contract with a living wage. The Beverly Hilton is a leader in Beverly Hills, and we challenge the Fairmont Century Plaza and Beverly Wilshire to quickly follow suit.”
