A Santa Monica hotel has signed a settlement agreement with the National Labor Relations Board in which it agreed to pay over $35,000 in bonuses the company withheld from workers in 2016, to rescind seven disciplines issued to employees and to offer reinstatement to a worker who was fired.
Although the JW Marriott Santa Monica Le Merigot has not admitted wrongdoing, the agreement would resolve 11 unfair labor practice cases that would have been heard in court in less than two weeks, according to the settlement. The cases involved alleged unlawful conduct by hotel management spanning from 2016 to 2018. The settlement is subject to approval by the Regional Director of Region 31 of the National Labor Relations Board.
Under the terms of the settlement, 21 workers would receive between $600 and $2,000.
A majority of housekeepers at Le Merigot voted to unionize with UNITE HERE Local 11 in November 2017, but the hotel has refused to sign a contract with the hospitality union.
The agreement contains two dozen specific commitments related to the hotel’s compliance with laws protecting workers’ right to organize. For example, part of a notice that management will be required to post inside the hotel states: “WE WILL NOT discipline you or reduce your scheduled work hours because of your union membership or support or for engaging in other protected concerted activities, including discussing your concerns about wages, hours and working conditions with your coworkers.”
madeleine@smdp.com
