Los Angeles councilman proposes $25 minimum wage for tourism workers

Los Angeles' current minimum wage will slightly increase on July 1 to $16.78 per hour

A Los Angeles city councilman is proposing the minimum wage for the city's tourism and hospitality workers be raised to $25 per hour as the cost of living has outpaced wages and Los Angeles prepares to host several global events in the next few years. 

City Councilman Curren Price wants to raise the pay from the current $16 minimum wage, FOX Los Angeles reported. The ordinance would impact 36,000 tourism workers across the city and would increase to $30 by 2030, Price tweeted Wednesday. 

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A view of Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles. A lawmaker is proposing a $25 minimum wage for tourism workers in the city.  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Price and SEIU United Service Workers West and Unite Here Local 11, the unions representing the workers, gathered Wednesday outside City Hall to discuss the motion. 

"Many of the working people who are the foundation of LA's tourism economy, working in LA hotels and at LAX, are struggling to survive on the city’s current living wage, facing housing and food insecurity, or forced to work two jobs," Price said.

The proposal would impact those employed at Los Angeles hotels with 60 or more rooms and workers in certain fields at LAX such as janitors, airplane cabin cleaners, security officers and airline catering employees. 

"Tourism brings billions of dollars to our economy, and the businesses benefiting from tourism workers’ labor can afford to provide good jobs with fair wages," Price tweeted. "The living wage movement is a social justice movement where here in Los Angeles nearly 9 out 10 tourism workers are people of color."

Lawmakers have previously noted the cost of living in Southern California and inflation have made it difficult for workers, especially those with families, to sustain themselves as wages struggle to keep up. 

The proposal comes as Los Angeles prepares to host big-name events in the coming years like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games, which are expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue. 

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The city's minimum wage will increase to $16.78 on July 1.