“I’m very proud that we are looking for ways to ensure that people’s mental and physical well-being is protected in their jobs,” she said. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who served as a West Hollywood councilmember in 2021, said she was delighted by both the wage increase and the paid time off. “That’s also groceries now being purchased, and potentially the occasional luxury of going out with one’s family.” “Utilities and rent are being paid in a more timely manner, and clothing that workers couldn’t afford for their kids is being purchased,” Scott said. She argued that the vast majority of increased wages are redistributed to the local economy. A recent federal report said workers “earning the federal or prevailing state or local minimum wage” cannot afford a modest two-bedroom rental home at fair market rent anywhere in the United States.Įllen Scott, a professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, said paying a living wage isn’t just an altruistic pursuit. MIT’s living wage calculator lists an average for one childless adult at $21.53 an hour. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that an individual needs to make $49,000 a year to live in metropolitan Los Angeles. “The reality is that hotel companies are making record profits while workers are barely getting by.”Įxperts differ on what constitutes a living wage. “The minimum wage has been life-changing for workers in our city,” texted Zeparak, a native of Peru. He said many of his friends who work at hotels in West Hollywood have seen their livelihoods improve over the last few years due to salary increases. He and thousands of Southern California hotel workers are planning to strike Saturday as their contracts expire. Resident Jorge Zeparak, 52, works at the Beverly Hills Hotel as a daytime room service server. Some West Hollywood residents applaud the City Council’s action as progressive. The city voted in May to fund four new sheriff’s positions after cutting funding a year earlier. “We believe in a living wage for all employees,” she said, “but we also need to correct the false narrative of how successful small businesses are doing.”Ĭouncilmember John Heilman said the council is not likely to reconsider the wage increase soon but is willing to help small businesses in other ways, such as beefing up security. Genevieve Morrill, chief executive of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said businesses are too easily seen as villains. Part-time employees are provided leave on a pro-rata basis, according to Laura Biery, economic development director for West Hollywood. “Many employees are seasonal workers in this industry and now, whenever they quit, let’s say in six months, we’re going to have to pay for vacation every year,” Latteri said. The City Council’s wage increase in 2021 included a stipulation that restaurants provide a minimum of 12 days of paid personal leave time and 10 additional days of unpaid time, he said. There, food service workers must make $15 an hour, but up to $5 can be made from tips, meaning owners can pay as little as $10 an hour. Instead of an across-the-board raise in minimum wages, he would favor New York City’s wage policy. Tudor, 36, said his business is “not a failure.” La Boheme averages sales of $600,000 a month, according to Tudor, and hosts 400 people for brunch and 400 for dinner on Saturdays, the busiest day. ![]() He has cut his staff from 120 to 80 over the last 12 months and slashed 1,000 working hours in an attempt to trim expenditures. Tudor said his business lost $100,000 in the first fiscal quarter this year, after the city in January implemented a $1 minimum wage increase for medium to large businesses, bringing it to $17.50 an hour. Tudor is the chief executive of La Boheme, a French and Japanese upscale restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard that relied on an expanded outdoor seating area to survive the COVID-19 lockdowns, when many other businesses were forced to close.īut the challenge brought by the pandemic, he said, doesn’t compare to his current financial headaches. If we go out of business, that means workers will lose their jobs too.” “They don’t make any sense for small businesses who were never consulted. “These pay increases are about superficiality and about opportunistic politicians who are just trying to make a name for themselves,” said West Hollywood restaurateur Lucian Tudor, a Romanian immigrant. Still, many small-business owners in West Hollywood are speaking out against the higher wage, saying they are reaching a breaking point and need relief to avoid closing. The increase comes at a time of rising rent, gas prices and inflation.Įmployers facing financial hardships can apply for a one-year delay via a waiver with the city.
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