LOS ANGELES Attendees at this year s UCLA Hotel Industry Investment Conference here witnessed a first-hand “demonstration” of the perils contract labor all-too-often pose to today s hotels and hoteliers when a veritable army of strikers representing the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America descended on the Westin Century Plaza.
Brandishing signs castigating the pay-scale practices of cement and wallboard contractors retained to work on the hotel s spa facility, several hundred noisy demonstrators showed up without any advance warning at the conference property s doorstep just before 11 a.m., initially blocking unimpeded entrance and exit and disturbing several working sessions in progress during the investment conference.
The interruption of the business routine at the Westin Century Plaza prompted a speedy and heavy response by Los Angeles police who deployed numerous squad cars as well as several helicopters to the scene. After being backed away from the hotel s front lobby doors, demonstrators continued their job action for approximately another hour before departing nearly as swiftly as they arrived.
At presstime, executives and spokespersons for the Westin Century Plaza had yet to issue any comment or clarifying statement, either on the incident or the conditions allegedly spurring it. (1/17/01) Michael Billig