Just in time for Monday’s Golden Globe nominations, the Beverly Hilton has reached a tentative agreement with the hotel union Unite Here Local 11.
The union announced the provisional deal, which makes the historic property the first Beverly Hills location to reach a 2023 agreement with the powerful Southern California and Arizona union, on Friday evening. The agreement is still subject to a ratification vote by members before it can go into effect. “This new contract will allow me to spend more time with my kids, and retire with dignity. I am proud of all my coworkers for sticking together, and we will make sure our sisters and brothers in other Beverly Hills hotels get the same,” Beverly Hilton housekeeper Ana Cortez said in a statement.
The development effectively averts potential picketing of the property that might have occurred during awards gatherings — such as the Dec. 11 Golden Globe nominations and Jan. 7 Golden Globes ceremony, both set to take place at the property — had the parties not come to a resolution. Unite Here Local 11 has been staging rolling strikes of venues without an agreement since June 30, when their latest labor contract expired, and has called on entertainment union members not to cross their strike lines at awards shows. (The Golden Globes is produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by The Hollywood Reporter‘s parent company Penske Media.)
Other preferred venues for entertainment awards ceremony, the Fairmont Century Plaza and Beverly Wilshire, have not yet inked a new contract with the union. The Beverly Hilton marks the sixth hotel to reach a tentative agreement with the group, joining the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, the Biltmore Los Angeles, the Laguna Cliffs Marriott, Le Merigot Santa Monica and the Loews Hollywood Hotel.
“Hotel workers at the Beverly Hilton are eager to kick off the awards season now that Hollywood is back in full swing because they have a contract with a living wage,” Unite Here Local 11 co-president Kurt Petersen said in a statement. “The Beverly Hilton is a leader in Beverly Hills, and we challenge the Fairmont Century Plaza and Beverly Wilshire to quickly follow suit.”
Few details of the deal were available as of press time, but the union stated that it provides “unprecedented wage increases,” “affordable” healthcare, language that will allow the formerly incarcerated to be hired on union jobs, new protections for immigrant workers and regulations to ensure “humane” workloads.
