DISQUS

The District Weekly: MIKE MURCHISON: HOTEL WORKERS MAY BE DEMANDING CHANGE, BUT THEY AREN’T FROM LONG BEACH

  • JuanPardell · 1 year ago
    Well, if Mike Murchinson is representing the Hospitality Alliance, along with new Queen Mary operator Save the Queen, LLC., does that mean the employees of the ship will not be paid a sustainable wage? Can it also be assumed, that any new hotel which may be developed on the property, will be exempt from having to do so? I'm hoping Mr. Murchinson can provide answers to those questions.
  • Mike Ruehle · 1 year ago
    In my management career, I have been involved in the formation of two unions and the break up of two unions. Many times, I have also witnessed employees use the threat of organizing a union to achieve pay and benefits they probably deserved. I suspect most non-union affiliated people are concerned because unions tend to add levels of inefficiency and protectionism that costs everyone money, including union members. The word “union” is often thrown around like a four letter word. However, sometimes workers have no choice but to unionize.

    It is my experience that unions are created by bad management. I have never seen a union created at a company that treated their workers well. The unions and the threat of unions were always at companies who took their workers for granted or did not communicate with them.

    There is nothing wrong with allowing workers to vote on formation of a union. Who cares if union demonstrators aren’t from Long Beach? The only ones who can vote are the workers, not the people from outside of Long Beach.

    As I see it, this situation is totally up to the individual hotel companies to decide. Regardless of how this is portrayed in the public arena, it’s in their ball court. Hotel management must decide individually whether to improve the worker’s compensation. Otherwise, they risk unionization of their workers. Either way, the hotel workers will probably benefit and hotel room costs will go up.
  • Cass Franklin · 1 year ago
    Nobody seems to care that my union, IATSE Local 33, was locked out of the Terrace Theater and the Long Beach Arena back in the '80s. No, they buy into that crap that unions are one of the reasons for high ticket prices.
  • lindaonline · 1 year ago
    Fact:
    well over 60% of hotel workers in long beach actually live in this city
    Fact:
    In LA, housekeeping has a quota of 13-14 rooms a shift while long becah workers have 22-24 rooms a shift.
    Fact:
    LA union workers make much more than Long Beach workers.
    Fact:
    Live better work union.
  • JuanPardell · 1 year ago
    lindaonline - - - - Not to sound too cliched;Long Beach talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.
  • ahotelworker · 1 year ago
    In response to the "Facts" listed above... At the Hilton Long Beach Housekeeping Room Attendants clean 15 rooms a day. If they CHOOSE to clean more rooms (which is rare) they are paid a bonus per room.
    LA hotel workers (whether union or not) do make more money on average than Long Beach hotel workers, but their hotel rooms also cost an average of $100+ more a night.
  • JuanPardell · 1 year ago
    ahotelworker ----- Has that hurt L.A.'s vacancy rate? Are there better hotels in the LA area as opposed to Long Beach?
  • Ship Buff · 1 year ago
    Mr. Murchison says in part, "In principle..."

    "The problem that I have, to be honest with you..." No, Mr. Murchison, I really can't determine when you are being honest and when you're not. If you need to point out that you're saying something honest, then it implies that the rest of the time you're not.

    You are a guy with no principles. You're going to parrot the line of whatever organization is paying you.

    You are scum of the lowest level--seeking to keep the power (and money) structure in place. But you're part of the city's power structure. All so screwed up.
  • Nancy Drew · 1 year ago
    Oh, you did an interview with Mike Murchinson and he wouldn't reveal the two Council Members!!?
    I thought it was interesting that Mike (at the Lobbyist meeting on Aug. 5th) said that non-profits should't have to register as Lobbyists....until I Iearned I that the Hospitality Alliance, (which includes ensemble partners, Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton) which he lobbys for, is both non-profit and tax exempt.
    And how can that be? They, along with the Chamber and Walmart brought in all those paid petitioners,(not from Long Beach) to gather signatures for their misleading petition on the Big Box Referendum. Unless you turned the petition over, you didn't even know who the sponsers were. They called themselves, "Consumers for Choice" and Councilman Delong was also listed on their mailed propaganda to the 3rd district. That must have cost quite a bit!!
  • JuanPardell · 1 year ago
    Meanwhile, over at the happiest place on earth (sic), hotel workers were arrested for protesting Disney's employee contract proposal which cuts health care benefits, employee hours and benefits. Is Disneyland striving to be the new Long Beach?
  • Kelson · 1 year ago
    ... and to think we almost had the best of both worlds when Disney toyed with building over here. So our underpaid hotel workers should be grateful they didn't get scabies along with the rest of the Disney clan.