Similar Ordinances Protect Hotel Workers in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland, and Other Cities

Today, a longtime housekeeper at the Hilton Irvine filed a class action lawsuit against the hotel alleging violations of the Irvine Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance (“Ordinance”), which the City of Irvine adopted in November 2022. While similar ordinances have passed in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland, Santa Monica, Emeryville, Glendale, West Hollywood, and Long Beach, this is the first lawsuit to be brought under the Irvine Ordinance. The workers are represented by Lauren Teukolsky of Teukolsky Law and Zoe Tucker of UNITE HERE Local 11.

The Ordinance protects Irvine hotel workers against the risk of sexual assault by implementing panic buttons and other measures, and it guarantees room attendants fair compensation when their workload exceeds proscribed limits.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court, alleges that even after Irvine Hilton housekeepers experienced several incidents of threatening behavior from guests, including guests exposing their genitals and subjecting room attendants to unwanted physical contact, the hotel failed to comply with the safety provisions of the Ordinance, which went into effect in December 2022. The lawsuit alleges that the Hilton failed to provide functioning panic buttons, failed to hire 24-hour security to respond to panic button calls, delayed for months to post the required notice of the Ordinance on guest room and restroom doors, and failed to provide adequate training to workers.

The lawsuit further alleges that since the workload provisions went into effect in May 2023, Hilton has failed to pay its housekeepers double pay when their workloads exceeded the set limits, failed to keep proper workload records, failed to implement daily room cleaning, and failed to provide workers with notice of their rights under the Ordinance.

Also in May 2023, the Hilton Irvine informed its workers that it would apply to the City of Irvine to be exempted from the workload provisions of the lawsuit, citing alleged economic hardship. According to SEC filings, Hilton CEO Christopher J. Nassetta made $23,532,938 last year.

Plaintiff Diana Nufio, who has worked as a housekeeper at the Irvine Hilton for more than 11 years, said, “I feel like Hilton does not think about us workers as people–they just think about money. But now, our hotel is asking the City for a waiver from the Ordinance, which is even more of an insult after we fought so hard for our City Council to pass these protections.”

Lauren Teukolsky, who represents the workers, adds, “We hope this lawsuit sends a message to all Irvine hotels that they are required to comply with the Ordinance immediately. There is no excuse for failing to protect hotel workers from the risk of sexual assault and crushing workloads.”

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.

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