![](https://onlabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Morgan-Sperry-headshot-300x300.jpg)
Morgan Sperry is a student at Harvard Law School and also serves as OnLabor's Social Media Director.
In today’s News and Commentary, Los Angeles hotel staff are on strike and Texas workers are dying of heat-related causes.
Thousands of hotel workers in Los Angeles went on strike on Sunday—ahead of the July Fourth holiday—seeking higher pay and better benefits. Unite Here Local 11, which is representing the workers, explained that “[w]orkers have been pent up and frustrated and angry about what’s happened during the pandemic combined with the inability to pay their rent and stay in Los Angeles.” Since April, the striking cooks, room attendants, dishwashers, servers, bellmen, and front-desk agents have been pushing for a new contract that guarantees them an immediate $5 hourly wage increase and a $3 boost annually for three years. Critically, this year’s agreements will govern through the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, which will draw millions of tourists to the LA area. The hotel workers join a cohort of other Southern California workers who have gone on strike in the preceding months, including dockworkers and WGA writers.
Workers in Texas are dying heat-related deaths as temperatures soar to nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The tragedies come mere days after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a state law invalidating Austin and Dallas mandates that employers offer breaks for construction workers and prohibiting localities from passing similar pro-worker legislation moving forward (for more on the new law, see Linh’s reporting from last week). Many Texans work inside without air conditioning, and others work outside. Without protections from the state, localities, or their employers, workers are relying upon the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool to stay alive.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 2
University of California strikes end while legal dispute continues; Disneyland workers raise awareness with park visitors; bus workers in Alabama set example for labor policy
July 1
Labor law impacts of Loper Bright and Jarkesy rulings; Unions push for workforce board represntation.
June 30
Explaining the turnaround in Starbucks-union negotiations; overtime rule implementation against Texas enjoined; California reforms PAGA
June 28
Gig driver classification deal reached in Massachusetts; Amazon drivers in Illinois strike over ULP; CEO pay accelerates.
June 27
The economy and immigration expected to play a central role in the upcoming presidential debate and Washington gets involved in AI regulation of the entertainment industry.
June 26
California judge fines companies for child labor violations; IATSE reaches tentative deal with studios; Texas judge likely to block Biden Administration's overtime rule