Seven other hotels have already signed
onto the union's proposal

(Los Angeles, CA) – The Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles has told UNITE HERE Local 11 that it will advocate through the Employer’s Council for a contract expiring in 2006. The Biltmore’s decision comes less than two weeks after the Wilshire Grand Hotel reached a similar understanding with the union.

Both hotels are now at odds with the stated position of the seven-member Los Angeles Hotel Employer’s Council (EC) to which they belong. Since the opening of negotiations between the EC and the union in April, 2004, the EC has refused to consider a Los Angeles contract expiring in 2006, a period when hotel contracts in many other North American cities will also be up for negotiation.

In addition to the Millennium Biltmore and the Wilshire Grand, the remaining EC hotels are the Westin Bonaventure, Westin Century Plaza, Sheraton Universal, Hyatt West Hollywood, and Regent Beverly Wilshire.

“The solidarity of the hotel workers and the effectiveness of our boycott are paying off,” said Tom Walsh, Executive Secretary Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 11. “More and more hotels that are not operated by global corporations like Hyatt are saying they’d rather settle than fight with their employees. We hope more EC hotels will reach the same conclusion.”

Seven other Los Angeles hotels that are not part of the EC have already signed a 2004-2006 agreement with the union. They are the Beverly Hilton, Bel Air, Luxe Summit Rodeo Drive, Holiday Inn Downtown, Radisson Wilshire Plaza, Sportsmen’s Lodge, and the newly re-flagged Sheraton Los Angeles (formerly the Hyatt Regency).