City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez has introduced a motion to address potential financial impacts on hotel and airport workers due to a referendum effort that seeks to delay a newly approved minimum wage increase. The increase, which aims to elevate wages for these workers to $30 per hour by 2028, is scheduled to begin this month.
The motion calls on city officials to develop a contingency plan that would ensure these workers receive their back pay should the referendum fail to qualify for the ballot. This initiative seeks to quantify the total wages that could be lost in the event of a delay and explore whether retroactive pay could be available if L.A. voters are misled during the signature-gathering process.
“Corporations have made it clear that they’re willing to use every dirty trick in the book to reverse progress and lower wages – we need to be prepared for them to go even lower,” Soto-Martinez stated. He added a warning to voters against signing any misleading petitions.
The motion has been referred to the Economic Development and Jobs Committee before being presented to the full City Council.
In May, elected officials passed an ordinance to increase wages for hotel and airport workers, setting a starting hourly wage of $22.50 in July with planned annual increases of $2.50. By July 2026, workers are expected to earn $25 an hour, followed by $27.50 in July 2027 and reaching $30 by July 2028, in anticipation of the Olympics. Additionally, in July 2026, workers will also receive a healthcare payment of $8.35 per hour.
Sonia Ceron, a dishwasher for Flying Food Group and member of UNITE HERE Local 11, expressed her support for Soto-Martinez’s motion. As a single mother, Ceron revealed that any delay in wage increases would significantly impact her ability to provide for her 12-year-old daughter.
“I already work two jobs to make ends meet and keep a roof over our heads. The loss of these wages could be the reason me and many other families end up on the street,” she voiced.
Last week, the L.A. City Clerk’s office certified the referendum effort initiated by the Los Angeles Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, a coalition of airlines, hotels, and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport. This petition was filed shortly after Mayor Karen Bass signed the ordinance into law, just four days following the City Council’s final approval.
The coalition has until June 30 to gather nearly 93,000 signatures from registered L.A. voters to qualify the referendum for the June 2026 ballot. However, signatures can be submitted beyond this number, but there must be at least 92,998 valid signatures to avoid discrepancies caused by duplicates or unregistered voters.
In the event that the required number of valid signatures is submitted, the ordinance will be suspended until it can be voted on during the general election. Currently, even while signatures are being verified, the ordinance is suspended under existing law, regardless of whether the petition ultimately qualifies for the ballot.
Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the coalition opposing the wage increase, conveyed concerns that the measure could jeopardize revenues essential for Los Angeles. He warned that small businesses might suffer closures, workers could lose jobs, and the broader economic ramifications could extend throughout the city.
“We’re fighting for all of it: the city’s future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year,” Singer stated.
In response, the Tourism Workers Rising Coalition, which advocated for the minimum wage increase, launched a campaign named “Defend The Wage LA.” This coalition includes organizations such as Unite Here Local 11, Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, which focuses on issues of economic, environmental, and racial justice.
They are actively urging L.A. voters to refrain from signing the petition and provide reports on misleading petition gatherers via the coalition’s website or hotline.
The union highlighted that the financial disparities are stark, noting that the CEOs of major airlines and hotel chains have received over $330 million in compensation in the two years since the minimum wage ordinance was proposed.
The petition is considerably funded by Delta, United, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, an industry group that supports these corporations.
David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW, underscored the contrast in priorities of these major companies. “The airlines and hotels would rather spend millions to overturn the living wage than give workers a dime now,” he emphasized.
He cautioned against complicity with the corporations’ attempts to deny wage increases to working families in L.A., stating, “Don’t be complicit. Don’t sign the CEO’s petition.”
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