An economic
watchdog group called today on the City Council to ensure that all restaurant
workers at LAX are provided with fair wages, affordable health insurance
and good working conditions.
In a report issued by the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, four
of the 10 restaurant operators inside the airport were given poor or
failing grades for allegedly paying low wages, not offering health insurance
and depriving workers of breaks.
One of
the companies listed in the report is embroiled in a lawsuit with workers,
who allege they are owed back wages.
The Board
of Airport Commissioners is reviewing LAANE's findings, according to
Nancy Castles of Los Angeles World Airports.
"The
findings of this report are very disturbing," Maria Loya, LAANE's
director of policy implementation and training, told the council. "It
demonstrates that there exists a trend of providing low-wage jobs, a
trend of exploiting workers and a trend of violating labor laws."
Loya called
on the council to strengthen the city's "living wage" and
contractor responsibility ordinances, which require companies doing
business with the city to pay a higher wage than the minimum and to
provide good working environments.
Loya spoke
during the public comment portion of the council meeting, and no action
was taken.
The largest
restaurant employers at LAX, HMS Host and its subcontractor CMS, both
received A-minuses from LAANE. Both companies pay an average of more
than $9 an hour and offer free medical insurance, according to the report.
"On
the positive side, we found restaurants that provide free family health
insurance, decent working conditions and wages far above the industry
average," said Jessica Goodheart, co-director of research at LAANE
and the report's author.
"They
set a standard that all companies at the airport should match,"
she said.
LAANE's
report is based on interviews with more than 100 workers over three
months, as well as a review of union contracts, lawsuits and complaints,
according to Loya.
"Just
as consumers have a right to know the health and hygiene rating of a
restaurant before dining there, we believe the public has a right to
know how employees are treated," Loya said. "And the city
-- which awards contracts to these restaurants and has set standards
for the treatment of workers -- has an obligation to know."
LAANE's
Web site describes it as a coalition of community organizations, unions,
religious leaders, academics and unspecified elected officials.
