A push for minimum wage increases in the tourism industry was made by the Los Angeles City Council Wednesday.

Councilman Curren Price introduced a motion seeking a $25 minimum wage in 2023  for tourism employees at city hotels and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with an increase to $30 per hour by 2028.

“Tourism brings billions of dollars to our economy, and the businesses benefiting from tourism workers’ labor can afford to provide good jobs with fair wages,” Price said in a statement Wednesday. “The living wage movement is a social justice movement where here in Los Angeles nearly 9 out 10 tourism workers are people of color. It’s appalling to think that while the tourism industry has its future growth secured, the workers that keep this major economic engine functioning, safe and profitable are fighting to keep a roof over their heads.”

Post-pandemic tourism in Los Angeles benefited from the county hosting major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl and MLB All-Star Game in 2022, as well as just hosting WrestleMania weekend in April. The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention board has also made recent pushes to welcome back Asian tourists from China, South Korea and India, countries which had travelers make their way to Los Angeles in record numbers in 2019, before the global pandemic lockdowns.

“LA’s tourism industry thrives on the hard work of its employees,”   Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky said in support of the proposal. “… right now, minimum wage workers must work over 100 hours a week just to afford an apartment in LA,”. “It’s time to raise the wage and make sure that the people who make Los Angeles a world-class destination can actually afford to live here.”

The proposal would specifically benefit workers at city of Los Angeles hotels with more than 60 rooms, as well as certain LAX workers such as airport custodians and security, airplane cabin cleaners and airline catering workers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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