Unionized employees at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, a 1,190-room convention hotel, have been without a contract since last November. Leaders of Unite Here, which represents more than 450 Hilton workers, are frustrated over the hotel's offer of a 50-cent increase in hourly wages.
In a strategic move to secure higher pay for workers at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, their labor union is threatening to strike during next week’s Comic-Con if it can’t reach an agreement with the hotel on a new contract.
“We value essential workers and we have to show we value them right now, and the way to do that is to pass a fair contract with good wages and good benefits.” Like most hotels, the Hilton Bayfront is staffed with largely lower-wage workers who, while earning more than minimum wage, struggle with making ends meet in a county where housing costs are especially high. Hourly pay for non-tipped workers at the Hilton — including housekeepers, stewards and front desk agents — ranges from $19.30 to $20.65.
“We would love to be able to get a settlement our members deserve but if we don’t, we’re going to strike during Comic-Con,” Browning said in an interview. Noemi Ponce, a housekeeper at the Hilton hotel for the last nine years, says she has become so financially strapped that last December she left her $1,380-a-month one-bedroom apartment in El Cajon for a garage in Spring Valley that she shares with her 16-year-old brother and 14-year-old cousin. She pays $700 a month while making car payments and supporting her two family members.
San Diego Councilmember Raul Campillo, who chairs the council’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, said the plea for higher wages for hotel workers comes at a time when tourism is rebounding, along with hotel room rates.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
3.6M quake strikes off coast of San Diego near San Clemente IslandThe earthquake happened at around 3:30 a.m., more than 20 miles south of San Clemente Island.
Read more »
Monkeypox in San DiegoA local infectious disease specialist talks about how health officials are preparing for more monkeypox cases in the county. Meanwhile, a new program aims to help the LGBTQ+ community with addiction. Plus, San Diego’s newest penguin exhibit is the only place on the West Coast where you can see the world’s smallest penguins.
Read more »
San Diego-based aircraft carrier to host college basketball gameVeterans Day game between Gonzaga, Michigan State on deck of Abraham Lincoln will be the first in a decade
Read more »
College grads leave San DiegoOn today's SanDiego News Now Podcast: College grads are leaving San Diego after they graduate. Meanwhile, COVID cases are rising in San Diego ahead of two major events returning this month. 🎧 Listen ➡️
Read more »