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WASHINGTON, D.C.– TodayU.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) along withU.S. Reps. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Adam Schiff (CA-30)led 24 members of Congress to call on the Department of Labor (DOL) andFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to investigate the alleged exploitation of unhoused refugees—including minors and workers who were bused to California by Texas Governor Greg Abbott—by hotels and staffing agencies in Los Angeles.
This effort comes after the Los Angeles Times published anin-depth articlereporting that several prominent hotels, or agencies acting on their behalf, brought in unhoused refugees from Venezuela and Colombia to replace their own workers during recent strikes. The article reported that the Los Angeles District Attorney was concerned about “potential wage theft and violations of child labor law.”
“The reported exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers to undermine hotel workers’ efforts to win livable wages and other improvements in labor standards is deeply troubling. We ask that your agencies investigate this situation,”the members wrote in a letter to DOL and FEMA.“We would also welcome any other support that the DOL and FEMA can provide for the vulnerable newcomers who may have been exploited during the ongoing labor dispute, including assistance in securing dignified housing and employment.”
“We are grateful that our Southern California congressional delegation has taken leadership to call for an investigation into the allegations of despicable exploitation of migrant labor,”said Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11.“Just as we call out the hotelbosses for their treatment of our members, we call out their cynical use of unhoused migrants who are seeking refuge in our country. The truth will come out.”
"Immigrant workers, whether recently arrived or long-term residents of the area, are eager to get on their own two feet and be self-sufficient.We are appreciative of Congressman Gomez and his colleagues for uplifting the need for local, state, and federal jurisdictions to do more to protect recent arrivals from any and all worker exploitation that takes advantage of their desperate need to start a new life in the U.S.,”said Angelica Salas, CHIRLA Executive Director.
A copy of the letter can be found HERE and the text is below:
Dear Acting Secretary Su, Administrator Looman, and Administrator Criswell,
We write to express concern regarding the alleged exploitation of unhoused refugees–including workers who were bussed to California by Texas Governor Greg Abbott–by hotels and staffing agencies in Los Angeles and to ask that your agency investigate this matter.
On October 23, 2023, the Los Angeles Times published an in-depth article reporting that several prominent hotels, or agencies acting on their behalf, had brought in unhoused refugees from Venezuela and Colombia to replace their own workers during recent strikes. The article reported that the Los Angeles district attorney was concerned about “potential wage theft and violations of child labor law.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that "one migrant worker, a 17-year-old student at Belmont High School who requested anonymity, said he skipped two days of school to clean rooms at the Holiday Inn LAX.” The article stated: “He and his mother, who secured work as a housekeeper at the Holiday Inn, received payment via banking app Zelle from an agency called Arya Staffing Services Inc. Aimbridge Hospitality did not respond to questions about whether staffing agencies it used had secured appropriate permits to employ minors.”
Additionally, it is our understanding that a number of major hotels–including at least the Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica, the Four Points by Sheraton, Holiday Inn LAX, and Pasadena Hilton–may have employed the unhoused refugees during the recent hotel worker strikes.
The reported exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers to undermine hotel workers’ efforts to win livable wages and other improvements in labor standards is deeply troubling. We ask that your agencies investigate this situation. In particular, we ask that the DOL and FEMA investigate for potential violations by Los Angeles hotels and their contracted staffing agencies of the Fair Labor Standards Act and any other applicable federal statutes protecting against potentially predatory behavior towards recent migrants and/or refugees.
We would also welcome any other support that the DOL and FEMA can provide for the vulnerable newcomers who may have been exploited during the ongoing labor dispute, including assistance in securing dignified housing and employment.
We appreciate your attention to these matters and your broader efforts to secure respect for worker rights and the humane treatment of migrants and refugees.
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