Striking L.A. Workers Want Hotels to Help Build Affordable Housing
Striking L.A. Workers Want Hotels to Help Build Affordable Housing The Wall Street Journal
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Labor Unions Demand Affordable Housing in Contract Negotiations
Introduction
Delmy Cabañas and thousands of other hotel workers in Los Angeles have been on strike for the past five weeks, demanding higher wages, better health benefits, and assistance in solving the city’s affordable housing shortage.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Goal 1: No Poverty
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
- Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Union Demands
- An $11-an-hour wage increase over three years
- A 7% fee or similar government tax to build affordable homes for hotel workers
- Loans and other assistance for workers at risk of losing their housing
- Endorsement of a 2024 ballot measure requiring hotels to make vacant rooms available to homeless people
Housing Affordability Crisis
Labor unions are increasingly advocating for employers to address housing affordability in contract negotiations. Rising housing costs have outpaced wage increases, making it difficult for low-income workers to live near their workplaces.
Los Angeles Housing Market
In the Los Angeles metro area, median monthly rents have increased by 24% to $2,100 between 2017 and 2022.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a worker in Los Angeles County would need to make $42.73 an hour to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment. The minimum hourly wage for Unite Here hotel workers in Southern California is currently $19.
Industry Response
A group representing 44 L.A. area hotels has filed unfair labor practice charges, claiming that the union’s demands related to housing policy are beyond the hotels’ control.
The industry argues that they cannot be held responsible for a housing crisis that has been decades in the making due to failed policies.
Negotiations and Strikes
The union rejected a wage increase proposal from the hotels and negotiations have stalled since July 18.
Since the expiration of contracts covering 15,000 hotel workers in Southern California, union members have been holding rolling work stoppages in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Anaheim.
Impact on Workers
Workers like Elvia Zuñiga, a housekeeper at a Sheraton hotel, struggle to afford housing and face long commutes to work.
Labor economist Enrique Lopezlira predicts that housing prices will become a central concern for unions as service workers are forced to live farther away from their workplaces.
Conclusion
The strikes by hotel workers in Los Angeles are part of a broader movement by the union to ensure affordable housing for service workers in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics hosted by the city.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 1: No Poverty
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology, and financial services, including microfinance.
- SDG 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
- SDG 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
- SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator for SDG 1.4: Proportion of the population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age group.
- Indicator for SDG 8.5: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age group, and persons with disabilities.
- Indicator for SDG 10.2: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
- Indicator for SDG 11.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements, or inadequate housing.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 1: No Poverty | Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology, and financial services, including microfinance. | Indicator: Proportion of the population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age group. |
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. | Indicator: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age group, and persons with disabilities. |
| SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. | Indicator: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities. |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. | Indicator: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements, or inadequate housing. |
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Source: wsj.com
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