The Associated Press Tuesday, November 28, 2006 05 10 AM
(11-28) 05:10 PST Los Angeles -- Thousands of hotel workers must earn a "living wage" under a law signed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The mayor signed off Monday on a measure extending the city's 1997 wage requirements for city contractors to cover 13 hotels near Los Angeles International Airport. It will take effect on Dec. 30. Employers will have to pay about 3,500 workers hourly rates of $9.39 per hour with health benefits, or at least $10.64 per hour without health benefits.
The City Council approved the measure earlier this month despite opposition from hotel owners. While the hotels have no city contracts, they benefit from their proximity to the city's airport, council members said.
The mayor also signed two related ordinances providing job protections to hotel workers during ownership changes and guaranteeing that they will receive service charges collected during hotel banquets.
"A strong economy and fair treatment of our workforce should never be mutually exclusive. They should go hand in hand," Villaraigosa said.
"It is only fair that the workers who labor to keep these hotels and our economy humming get paid a decent living wage," Villaraigosa added. "It is simply the right thing to do."
Business leaders said the wage increase could hurt the city's economy and they plan to gather signatures to put the matter to a public vote. It would be at least May before a referendum could be called.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/11/28/state/n051044S27.DTL
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