Two Los Angeles hotels agreed to union demands regarding contract expiration dates, dealing a blow to the Los Angeles Hotel Employer's Council, which has been engaged in a yearlong power struggle with Unite Here. A plea has been sent out by the manager of the Wilshire Grand, imploring the council to surrender on the issue of contract length for the sake of the local economy. The negotiations come as part of Unite Here's plan to line up contract expiration dates across the country, so that any strike threat would resonate throughout the national hotel industry.
See "Hotels Break Ranks on Union Contract", Nancy Cleeland, Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2005