Long Beach Concession Workers Will Earn an Olympic Wage

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy or LAANE reported July 23 that the Long Beach City Council voted to raise the wage for concession workers at the airport and convention center to $29.50/hour by the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. The policy extends protections to future workers at the Long Beach Bowl, a highly anticipated waterfront venue adjacent to the Queen Mary that will be the second-largest outdoor amphitheater in L.A. County.

Thanks to this victory, concession workers are now brought up to the same wage standard that was won by hotel workers when Long Beach voters approved Measure RW, which went into effect just over a year ago. 

The Tourism Workers Rising campaign in Long Beach was anchored by UNITE HERE Local 11, LAANE, and CLUE. This victory was only made possible through a broad coalition of 75 local community organizations, 206 small businesses, and thousands of voters who overwhelmingly passed higher wages for Long Beach tourism workers through Measure RW.

Long Beach will be hosting several Olympic sporting events, and both the airport and convention center are set to receive millions of dollars in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. While workers at the Long Beach airport and convention center are essential to the success of Long Beach’s tourism industry, many of their workers struggle to afford rent, groceries, and basic necessities. 

In May, Mayor Bass signed a similar Olympic wage law that raises the wage for City of Los Angeles tourism workers to $30/hour by 2028. But in LA, corporations like Delta, United Airlines, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association have funded a campaign to attempt to overturn the law.

Executive Director of LAANE, Víctor Sánchez, said, “The corporate pushback we face in L.A. is proof that we’re on the right path, and we will keep pushing forward to improve the lives of working families in our communities. Our victories in L.A. and in Long Beach are proof that when we’re united, we’re unbeatable.”