Los Angeles tourism workers are calling for a pay raise as the city prepares for the 2028 Olympics.
More than 100 workers from industries including hospitality and the Los Angeles International Airport joined several City Council members at Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday to urge officials to consider an immediate increase in the minimum wage for tourism workers to $25 an hour, rising to $30 an hour by 2028. The city's current minimum wage is $17.28.
“Tourism workers are the front line, they are … the people who greet the world in Los Angeles,” said Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director in Los Angeles of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Institute, an organization that helps disadvantaged communities. “We need to make sure that our people have the dignity and the ability to live where they work.”
Los Angeles’ tourism sector generated more than $34.5 billion last year. As the city invests in infrastructure ahead of several major global events to accommodate millions of tourists, workers who often live paycheck to paycheck and take on extra jobs to make ends meet said their workloads have increased amid the city’s plans.
Desmond Taylor, 64, is a baggage handler who has worked at LAX for 33 years. He is often one of the first people travelers encounter when checking in their luggage.
“I feel like I should be compensated more; one of my checks doesn’t even cover rent,” she said.
The cost of medical care is also weighing on him. He said he recently paid $103 for medication.
“Rents have gone up, food prices have gone up, living is a lot harder,” Taylor said.
About 50,000 people work at LAX. The airport is undergoing a $30 billion overhaul to upgrade terminals and build an automated passenger train, among other plans, in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. Taylor and other workers believe the airport needs improvements to enhance the travel experience, but said the city should also prioritize them.
The demonstration was organised by the Tourism Workers Rising coalition, which is made up of several union groups and other organisations, as part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness about workers’ demands for living wages. The group is still awaiting the results of a report that would supposedly analyse the economic impact of the increase.
Councilmembers Curren Price, Katy Yaroslavsky, Hugo Soto-Martinez, Heather Hutt and Eunisses Hernandez spoke at the rally in support of a pay raise proposed last year by several Los Angeles City Council members.
“If this city is going to host the Olympics, a world-class event, we cannot allow our workers to earn poverty wages,” said Soto-Martinez, whose mother has worked at the airport for 25 years.
Jovan Houston, 42, starts her day at 3 a.m. and begins work at 4 a.m. at LAX. When she finishes just before noon, she typically heads to her next job as a cosmetologist. Her night typically ends at 11 a.m.
Houston, who has worked at the airport for seven years, lives in a two-bedroom apartment on the edge of Inglewood with six other members of her family. A raise, she says, would improve her living situation and allow her to spend more time with her family.
“I’m not making enough money to live in Los Angeles, especially with the rising costs of rent and gas,” he said.
“The economy of the city of Los Angeles is growing. They are preparing for the Olympics, but yes, they are leaving the workers here behind.”
