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Measure N: Voters Approve $13 Wage And Benefits For Long Beach Hotel Workers
The Long Beach Business Journal ^ | November 20, 2012 | Joshua H. Silavent

Posted on 11/19/2012 10:07:51 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Long Beach voters took to the polls on Election Day and overwhelmingly cast their support for a living wage (or minimum wage, depending on choice of terminology) of $13 per hour for workers in the city’s largest hotels. The earliest the law would likely take effect is December 21.

“In terms of what message voters sent . . . it affirms that the City of Long Beach was ready to really look at how quality of life issues matter, regardless of what level of employment or which sector you work in,” Councilmember Suja Lowenthal told the Business Journal.

As of November 13, more than 73,500 voters agreed compared with nearly 43,200 who said ‘no’ to Measure N. Moreover, the ballot measure passed in all nine city council districts (as of press time, several thousand ballots remained uncounted by the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters office).

“You say raise the minimum wage and people agree with that,” Leigh Shelton, spokesperson for UNITE HERE Local 11, the union responsible for Measure N’s appearance on this year’s ballot, told the Business Journal. She noted that voters in the cities of San Jose and Albuquerque, New Mexico, also passed minimum wage ordinances November 6 of $10 and $8.50 per hour, respectively. The minimum wage across the Golden State is $8 an hour.

But the Long Beach measure is unique because it does not apply to all workers in the city, but rather only to workers in hotels with 100 rooms or more.

Measure N also imposes a mandatory 2 percent annual increase in pay regardless of job performance or economic climate, guarantees five paid sick days per year and assures that workers receive 100 percent of guest services charges, such as mandatory gratuities attached to room service...

(Excerpt) Read more at lbbusinessjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Local News; Travel
KEYWORDS: california; economy; idiots; insanity; mandatorygratuities; minimumwage; tips
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

They just destroyed their tourist business!


21 posted on 11/20/2012 12:00:44 AM PST by dalereed
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Workers’ welfare.


22 posted on 11/20/2012 12:09:58 AM PST by Gene Eric (Demoralization is a weapon of the enemy. Don't get it, don't spread it!)
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To: dalereed

>> They just destroyed their tourist business!

Don’t need to have my hotel room cleaned up every day. Sometimes leave the DND sign when I leave my gear in the room.


23 posted on 11/20/2012 12:12:10 AM PST by Gene Eric (Demoralization is a weapon of the enemy. Don't get it, don't spread it!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
What these idiots don't understand is that if the electorate can give raises, the electorate can take them away. While the electorate should hold that power over public sector wages (government employees), it should not be able to decide what private concerns pay their employees.

That should be between the employees and the business.

If I were the major hotel owners, I would immediately start a petition to drop the wages across the board (or even just at the management level) of all public sector employees in the jurisdiction, just to hear them howl, then turn it around and aim it at them.

After all, if there are public sector people in nonhazardous jobs who are making multiples of the living wage there, compared to those who aren't (smaller hotels), well, that just isn't 'fair', either.That 'fairness' schtick can be a two-edged sword--especially when tax money is picking up the tab.

24 posted on 11/20/2012 12:12:26 AM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

There’s the rub. California people can escape to anywhere but they still bring themselves along.


25 posted on 11/20/2012 12:39:28 AM PST by stormhill
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

We sold, and moved out of Long Beach in ‘87.

For good reason.


26 posted on 11/20/2012 4:56:52 AM PST by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists, call 'em what you will, they ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Well then the hotels have to raise their rates and/or hire less employees. Customers have options too. Charge them too much and they go elsewhere. Businesses can’t survive and neither do the jobs. How’s that “living wage’ crapola gonna work out then?


27 posted on 11/20/2012 5:28:03 AM PST by tflabo
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