In 2004, UNITE-HERE Local 11 launched a campaign to win a contract with employers represented by the Los Angeles Hotel Employers Council. Building on the union’s rank-and-file strategy, hotel workers organized repeated delegations to articulate their demands to hotel management and mobilized community allies and the labor movement in disruptive public demonstrations. The campaign in Los Angeles was part of a “Ten Cities” campaign mounted simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada to win higher standards and protections for union organizing from international hotel chains.

The campaign in Los Angeles included a massive civil disobedience action downtown in 2004, pictured here. After a march to 5th and Figueroa streets, a group of hotel maids — whose labor is invisible to most hotel guests — demonstrated the value of their work by making beds in the street. Afterwards, the beds were removed and a group of 40 workers and community leaders, including religious leaders from CLUE, remained in the street until they were arrested by the LAPD.

“When I was in the circle, I was very proud of myself because I was fighting. Because I knew that in this struggle, we were going to achieve something great. We were going to make things better for our families and for our jobs.”

– Victoria, Westin Bonaventure worker

After 14 months of action, an agreement between the union and employers was finally brokered by mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa shortly before employers were set to lock out 2,500 workers.

View news coverage of the civil disobedience action here: https://vimeo.com/198769065

The union also produced a short video about the campaign you can view here.