Tourism workers urge city officials to increase wages ahead of Olympics

More than 100 employees from sectors including hotels and the Los Angeles International Airport gathered with several City Council members at Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday. They called for an immediate wage increase for tourism workers to $25 per hour, with a goal of $30 per hour by 2028. The city's current minimum wage stands at $17.28.

“The tourism workers are the front line — they are the people who welcome the world to Los Angeles,” said Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Institute, an organization supporting underserved communities. “We need to ensure our workers have the dignity and the ability to live where they work.”

Last year, Los Angeles's tourism industry generated over $34.5 billion. As the city prepares for several major international events and millions of tourists, workers report increased workloads. Many live paycheck to paycheck and take on additional jobs to make ends meet.

Desmond Taylor, 64, has worked as a skycap at LAX for 33 years and often greets travelers when they check their bags. “I feel like I should be compensated more — one of my checks doesn’t even cover my rent,” he said. The rising cost of healthcare also concerns him, with recent medication costing $103. “Rent has gone up. The cost of food has gone up. Living is a lot harder,” Taylor added.

Approximately 50,000 people are employed at LAX. The airport is undergoing a $30-billion renovation to improve terminals and construct an Automated People Mover train, among other projects, in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. While Taylor and other workers support the upgrades, they emphasize that their needs should also be prioritized.

The rally was organized by the Tourism Workers Rising coalition, comprising various union groups and organizations. They are advocating for living wages and awaiting the results of a report analyzing the economic impact of the wage increase.

Councilmembers Curren Price, Katy Yaroslavsky, Hugo Soto-Martínez, Heather Hutt, and Eunisses Hernandez spoke at the rally in support of the proposed wage hike, which was suggested last year by several City Council members. “If this city is going to host the Olympics — a world-class event — we cannot leave our workers with poverty wages,” said Soto-Martínez, whose mother has worked at the airport for 25 years.

Jovan Houston, 42, begins her day at 3 a.m. for her 4 a.m. shift at LAX. After finishing around noon, she often heads to her second job as a cosmetologist, with her day ending at 11 p.m. Houston, who has worked at the airport for seven years, lives in a two-bedroom apartment with six family members. A wage increase would improve her housing situation and allow her more time with her family. “I’m not making enough money to live in Los Angeles, especially with the rising costs of rent and gas,” she said. “Los Angeles’s economy is growing. They’re preparing for the Olympics, but they’re leaving behind the workers here.”