Opinion Editorial – Harassment of Hotel Workers And Downtown Long Beach Residents Continues

By Debbie Lewis, Downtown Resident

For over 2 years, Unite Here Local 11, a Los Angeles-based union, has been sending out paid protestors to discourage business at the Westin and Renaissance hotels in downtown Long Beach.  They utilize bullhorns which violate noise ordinances and wake up residents at 7am.

Throughout the 2 years, I and other Downtown Residents wanted to get to the bottom of the issue and learned many interesting facts:

1. These are not Westin employees who are protesting, they are paid Union protestors.
2. Westin Employees have spoken with us and are happy with their jobs and employer.
3. It’s no secret Unite Here helps to get candidates elected into office who they think will help them increase their membership dues.
4. If the employees decide to join the union, they may take a pay cut.
5. Unite Here Local 11 is trying to force unionization on hotels yet to be built, which is slowing down the actual construction process and new business opportunities in Downtown Long Beach.

After 2 years, the police have finally grown tired of responding to these noise violation calls as the protestors refuse to follow the law.

We have interviewed Westin hotel employees. The truth revealed itself, as shown in these images:

Here are several of the statements from Westin employees (who wish not to be named for fear of Union intimidation):

“I don’t like the union (Unite Here Local 11), because they lie and because they bring religion into it.”

“(Unite Here Local 11) is trying to ruin our hotel reputation waking up everyone, everyone is getting upset.”

“I don’t have a problem with (The Westin), my boss is amazing.”

“Westin is not a bad company, we don’t want to become Union.”

We ask that elected officials tell Unite Here Local 11 to go home and thereby protect the rights and security of hotel workers and Downtown residents.