By Daniel Rivera, Reporter
On Sept. 2, Fairmount Miramar Hotel workers and other UniteHere11 picketers got a boost from one of the world’s most famous soccer players, Lionel Messi, who sent out a statement of solidarity in support of the hotel boycott as the labor dispute continues.
The hotel contract with its workers ended on June 30, just before the game between InterMiami and LAFC. The following Friday, a union source from UniteHere11 told Reuters that Inter Miami would be switching hotels and supporting the ongoing boycott from the union.
“We are proud and we are thankful to them for moving away and respecting the boycott and strike,” Lillian Hernendez, a housekeeper who worked at the hotel for 11 years told Random Lenghs News.
The sentiment was shared with advocates waving “Thank you Messi” signs to the street.
There are four central points that the workers are pushing for in their new contract, higher wages, health insurance, more fair workloads, and pension.
According to the advocates, the average worker at the hotel makes about $20-$25 an hour while pushing for an additional $5 in raises so that workers can live in the area.
“It’s a nice place to work but the pay isn’t there if you want to live in Santa Monica,” Nick Stevenson a barista told Random Lengths News. He lives with his mother, who was able to stay in the area due to getting into low-income housing.
“She got housed in a low-income apartment… she was one of the lucky ones,” Stevenson said.
Another major issue brought up by the strikers is the workload which they think is unfair, and has reportedly worsened after the pandemic and never saw any improvement.
“After the pandemic, it became harder than ever. We have 14 rooms to clean, but it’s not possible to clean so much so we are asking for fair workloads,” said Hernendez when describing her work after the pandemic.
Drums and trumpets blare and as the protests have gone on and some workers have been there since early that morning, all while patrons of the hotel continue to go in and out. Some of the protestors would yell at them to respect the protests, and the strike, and to side with the workers by boycotting the hotel. And one of the workers was pulling out red cards for patrons entering the hotel.
“Cross the picket line and spending money in the Miramar is definitely a red card,” Noel Rodriguez, an organizer with UniteHere11 told Random Lengths News while holding the red, green and yellow cards in Soccer. When asked who gets a yellow card, he said, “It’s for security, to keep them on their toes.”
Only aggressive words were exchanged throughout the day, and patrons were let in with no issue but that was not always the case. Noel explained how he and several other union members were allegedly assaulted by hotel security a few weeks ago, the union provided a video.
“I think that these are the workers that make the tourism industry what it is, one of the most profitable industries in the state,” Maria Hernendez, an organizer with UniteHere11 told Random Lengths News near the end of the protest. She wanted people to understand that the workers there want to be working, they do not want to be outside their own workplace and fighting for a better treatment.
She explained, “This could end at any moment right, the company just gotta pick up a pen and sign the contract the workers are asking for.”
The protesters said that they would continue to protest for as long as necessary until they get a new contract. UniteHere11 has spearheaded many strikes and protests across Los Angeles, one of which was in solidarity with Airport Workers at the Long Beach Airport.