Los Angeles will raise the minimum wage for workers in the city's hotels and airports to $30 per hour by 2028 after a vote by the City Council this week.
The council voted 12-3 in favor of a proposal to raise the city's Living Wages and Hotel Worker Minimum Wage ordinances on Wednesday, with the first planned increase to raise the wage to $22.50 an hour in July, then $25 an hour in 2026, $27.50 an hour in 2027, and finally $30 an hour in 2028, the year that the city is set to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"For years, our hotel and airport workers have done the heavy lifting — welcoming millions, keeping LA moving and powering the city's growth," said council member Curren Price in a statement. "This policy is about respect, recognition, and fair pay for the workers who've always been essential to LA's success."
But some tourism industry groups have warned that the proposal could have a chilling effect on hiring hotel and airport workers in the area or even force some businesses to close due to increased labor costs.
"Hotel employees in Los Angeles are paid the highest wages in the country, but right now their jobs are at risk,'' said Rosanna Maietta, CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, at a press conference last month.
"City leaders are considering a damaging proposal that will jeopardize these jobs; it would devastate much needed tourism related tax revenue and lead to the closure of hotels that are desperately needed to successfully host the 2026 World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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