About 300 protesters demanding unionization for hotel workers were arrested Thursday in a carefully choreographed, peaceful demonstration that shut down part of a busy thoroughfare near Los Angeles International Airport.
The arrests came after months of coordination between national hotel workers' unions, labor leaders, immigrant groups and police, who advised the organizers on how to proceed without endangering public safety.
"We hope to get better benefits, like health insurance coverage for our family, better wages, a lighter workload and respect, because right now we are being treated like slaves," said Evelina Alvarez, 55, a Mexican national and housekeeper at the Westin Los Angeles Airport hotel near the airport.
Westin spokesman Fred Muir rejected allegations that hotel workers were poorly paid.
Employees "have a pretty complete salary and benefits package, which includes health care, paid vacations, paid sick time and numerous paid holidays," Muir said.
So much for the typical excuse that these are "hard working people, willing to do jobs Americans won't do."
The truth is, these immigrants are only temporarily hard working and willing to undercut American workers. As soon as circumstances permit, they'll demand the same working conditions and pay as native born Americans. And their kids will grow up with ghetto entitlement values. Then what will we do? Import hard-working workers from Darfur and Somalia?
2006-10-01
12:16:11
·
6 answers
·
asked by
ShoeShine
1