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Maria Elena Durazo, Donald Wilson, other boycott supporters and me |
I attended the Banquet in the Streets put on by Local 11 of UNITE HERE to call attention to the fight for justice in Los Angeles' hospitality industry. The workers of L.A.'s hotels have called a boycott until the companies sign a fair contract that protects wages and health insurance and allows the union to bargain with a national voice—which seems right, considering that the companies they are bargaining with are no longer local businesses but are multinational names. At the banquet, supporters dined in the middle of the street outside the Century Plaza Hotel as a group of workers, organizers and supporters served salad and sparkling cider. It was a unique and festive alternative to the picket line. Support the boycott!