Supervisors suggest $25 hourly wage for lodge, theme park staff

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will quickly take into account a proposal requiring lodge and theme park staff in unincorporated areas to be paid at the least $25 an hour, rising to $30 an hour by 2028, when the Summer season Olympics will likely be held in Los Angeles.

Chair Janice Hahn, who proposed the movement at Tuesday’s board assembly, mentioned too many employers are paying their staff low wages, which exacerbates poverty, homelessness and housing insecurity.

On the similar time, hoteliers profit from county investments in seashores and parks, attracting vacationers to the area, and theme parks profit from particular zoning privileges, giving the county a vested curiosity in how their staff are paid, Hahn mentioned.

The measure would apply to staff of Common Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain, and folks working at inns with greater than 60 rooms.

If handed, the county ordinance would additionally require all service prices to be paid to staff.

“A $25 minimal wage, up from the present minimal wage of $16.90, wouldn’t make these staff wealthy, however it might make their lives somewhat simpler and should imply that they don’t must work a number of jobs simply to remain of their properties,” Hahn mentioned.

The supervisors will take into account the movement at their Sept. 12 assembly.

If Hahn’s movement passes, county workers will draft the Tourism Employee Retention Minimal Wage Ordinance in 45 days. The supervisors would then vote on the ordinance. It was unclear how quickly the ordinance would go into impact if handed.

Hahn mentioned the movement, co-authored by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, is much like proposals being thought of in Los Angeles and Lengthy Seashore — some extent that business leaders shortly fired again on.

Heather Rozman, president and chief govt of the Lodge Assn. of Los Angeles, mentioned Hahn’s “copy and paste” lawmaking was unhealthy public coverage.

The board ought to full an financial influence evaluation, like cities with comparable proposals, earlier than shifting ahead, Rozman mentioned.

“Perhaps the supervisors will pay their county workers a minimal wage of $25 an hour first,” Rozman mentioned in a press release. “It’s disappointing that one particular curiosity is proposing ordinances by way of the Los Angeles area that may have a devastating influence on small enterprise and native authorities tax income. As a substitute of specializing in a small share of staff, leaders on this area ought to develop a holistic answer to our affordability disaster that may profit all.”

Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, govt director of the California Sights and Parks Assn., mentioned her group had solely simply seen the proposal.

“We welcome the supervisor’s invitation to have interaction all stakeholders,” Lockhart mentioned in a press release.

At the least among the “large improve in wages” may very well be handed on to customers, though particularly at theme parks, customers are already indignant about current value jumps, mentioned Martin Lewison, a theme park professional and affiliate professor of enterprise administration at Farmingdale State Faculty in New York.

That’s why extra theme park corporations wish to center America to construct theme parks for customers who don’t have cash to drive or fly to the coasts for a Disney or Common attraction, he mentioned.

“Each of these industries have been immune to wage will increase for a very long time,” Lewison mentioned. “In some methods, that is justice for staff who you would argue have been underpaid, traditionally, and so I actually see the way it may be common politically to make such a proposal.”

Common worker Danny Bernardo informed the supervisors Tuesday it’s a widespread false impression that theme park staff usually are younger folks in search of seasonal work, when many have labored at parks for many years. But many are paid barely greater than minimal wage, regardless of their years of service, Bernardo mentioned.

Many have second and third jobs, typically full-time employment elsewhere, and are on public advantages, face evictions and even skip meals, he mentioned.

“There aren’t simply tales — these are the experiences of myself, my brothers and sisters and kin,” mentioned Bernardo, an Amusement Space Workers Union B-192 member. “To fulfill the price of dwelling, lots of our staff are solely working and never dwelling.”

Occasions workers author Hugo Martín contributed to this report.