More and more, hospitality workers face heart-wrenching decisions.
For example, Juana Enriquez, a pregnant housekeeper at the Monterey Bay Travelodge, where the workers have no health insurance, has had to forgo expensive doctor visits.
Alex Guillen works three jobs, including as a waiter at the Pacific Edge restaurant. Most days he only sees his two daughters when he kisses them on the cheek as they sleep.
James Hood works banquets at different area hotels, hoping he can save enough money to help provide his youngest son with what his older ones could not afford: a college education.
Other hospitality workers have cut back on family food budgets. They have reduced spending on school supplies and clothes for their children, or, like Sal, moved away.
While I bet the Local 483 directors live a very comfortable life . . they should suspend dues for a few years to ‘help out’ those workers.
The November 17 Hear-Old reports that the unionized workers at the La Playa agreed to accept an increase of wages and benefits amounting to $5 an hour over the next 4 years. That’s all? $1.25 per hour a year? Bet the union gets at least the .25 of it.
In the auto industry, the non union companies are out pacing US union made marques in sales. Toyota became # 2 in the US.