Workers March For $25 Wage At Hotels Across Southern California

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Hospitality workers who have already voted to go on strike picketed Wednesday for higher wages in downtown Los Angeles, part of a protest set for dozens of hotels in Southern California.

Workers marched up and down the sidewalks outside the Westin Bonaventure on South Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles early Wednesday, demanding a $25 wage "for our future."

UNITE HERE Local 11 says thousands of workers, 96 percent of whom have already voted to strike, will protest at 24 hotels throughout Southern California, including the Beverly Wilshire, the Anaheim Hilton and the Sheraton Park Hotel, which is also in Anaheim.

The union says hotel workers are focused on winning a $25 per hour wage to make sure they can keep up with the rising cost of living in Southern California, but are also asking for more affordable health insurance, pension increases and the implementation of panic buttons to protect workers.