LONG BEACH — On Sept. 8, Highgate Hotels, the new owners of the Westin Long Beach Hotel, announced the approval of the unionization of its employees.
Highgate Hotels bought the Westin in mid-August.
The Westin is a full service hotel with 474 guest rooms, meeting rooms, banquet facilities and a full restaurant and bar.
Westin workers have been seeking unionization, with the assistance of United Here Local 11 since 2015, when lawyers representing employees filed a lawsuit alleging the former owners, Starwood Hotels, failed to pay full wages and provide rest breaks for housekeepers and food service workers. Hotel workers, in general, have high rates of work-related injury, particularly those employed in housekeeping. Unite Here Local 11 represents more than 25,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona.
Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce had helped arrange a meeting to end the dispute.
The next step will be to negotiate a labor contract with management concerning pay, benefits and working conditions.