Anaheim voters are deciding if hotel and event center workers in the city should get a $25 per hour minimum wage, along with several other workload regulations, now that ballots are out for an Oct. 3 special election.
Measure A has pitted labor union Unite Here Local 11, which gathered enough signatures to put the ballot initiative before voters, against city hoteliers.
If passed, housekeepers in Anaheim would start earning $25 an hour immediately, with annual wage increases being 3% or tied to the consumer price index, whichever is higher. It would also entitle workers to double pay if they clean more than 3,500 to 4,000 square feet of rooms a day, depending on the hotel’s size.
Measure A would also require panic buttons to be provided to housekeepers, 24/7 security guards and paid time to report incidents to the police. The City Council this summer adopted many of the safety measures in a separate resolution that will go into effect next year.
The measure’s proponents argue the cost of living has skyrocketed in Southern California, and passing the initiative would be a step toward helping housekeepers be able to afford to live where they work. Hoteliers are countering by arguing the workload regulations would make it harder to keep their businesses running, which would harm the city’s hotel tax revenue, because they would end up paying many workers double pay.
The minimum wage in California is $15.50 an hour; a June study by Beacon Economics found that room attendants make on average $18.50 an hour. Any Anaheim resort-district hotels that benefit from city tax rebates must pay a minimum of $19.40 per hour under an earlier measure approved in 2018 by voters.
The minimum wage rules would also apply to event center workers, which are defined as large facilities such as concert halls, stadiums or other meeting places more than 20,000 square feet. Examples include the Anaheim Convention Center and even the Anaheim Family YMCA.
The special election,…
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