Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn weighed in Wednesday, Aug. 2, on the call for mega-pop star Taylor Swift to postpone her sold-out concerts in Inglewood to signal solidarity with L.A.’s striking hotel workers.
Los Angeles area hotels will likely make huge profits off Swift’s Eras Tour, said Hahn in a written statement. But, she added those who work at the hotels won’t see a share of those profits.
“This has been a cruel summer for hotel workers who are making poverty wages,” said Hahn. “It would send a huge message to these hotel chains if Taylor Swift sided with them.”
Quoting from Swift’s song Bejeweled, Hahn added: “Taylor said it best: ‘I think it’s time to teach some lessons.’”
Dozens of state and local politicians this week — Hahn was among the first — signed an open letter released by California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis calling for the postponement.
The letter tells Swift that her tour makes the region’s hotels money, with some properties “doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming.”
Beginning Thursday, Aug. 3, Swift has six sold-out shows at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The concerts are Aug. 3, 4 and 5 and again on Aug. 7, 8 and 9.
The letter stated many housekeepers and other hotel workers can’t afford to live close to their jobs and some sleep in their cars and risk losing their homes.
“Hotel workers are fighting for their lives,” the letter stated. “They are fighting for a living wage. They have gone on strike. Now, they are asking for your support. Stand with hotel workers and postpone your concerts.
Swift’s representatives didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the letter.
Unite Here Local 11, which represents some 30,000 hotel workers, is negotiating for better wages, improved health care benefits, higher pension contributions and less strenuous workloads. Contracts expired last month at more than 60 hotels, including properties owned by major chains such as Marriott and Hilton.
Kounalakis, a Democrat who said she will run for governor in 2026, is the top official in the state to make the plea. She attended Swift’s Eras tour in Santa Clara, California, according to Politico.
Others who signed the letter include the mayors of several cities, Assembly Majority Leader Issac Bryan and state senators Dave Min and Maria Elena Durazo.
Critics have questioned the move, with Northern California State Sen. Josh Becker, a Democrat, tweeting: “This seems like a bad idea to me. So many people have bought tickets, some overpaying on the resale market. Clearly we can find other ways to support the strikers that don’t dash the dreams of young fans who have been so looking forward to this concert.”
—Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Orange County Register
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