In a 12-3 vote on Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance establishing a minimum hourly wage of $15.37—one of the nation’s highest minimum wages—for workers at large hotels. If passed in a final vote next week, the ordinance would go into effect in July for hotels with more than 300 rooms, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Those with at least 125 but fewer than 300 would have to comply by July 2016. So far this year, 11 state legislatures have voted to enact minimum-wage increases, the article states. According to the ordinance, more than 40 percent of Los Angeles hotel workers make a living below the federal poverty level.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association issued a statement on Tuesday opposing the proposal, stating that it not only unfairly targets the hotel industry, it will severely disrupt a job-growth industry and jeopardize jobs that both pay well and provide benefits for their employees. The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) and Hotel Association of Los Angeles (HALA), in conjunction with AH&LA’s team on the ground, are engaged in an aggressive campaign to push back against the Los Angeles hotel-only proposal.