Two Black women former workers have filed lawsuits alleging race discrimination and sexual harassment at the famed Sunset Strip spot
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Yesterday, UNITE HERE Local 11, the union supporting laid-off Chateau Marmont workers, sent a letter to Laura Love asking that she respect the boycott of the Chateau Marmont and celebrate her wedding at a venue where workers are treated with dignity and respect. Laura Love is the daughter of Lisa Love, the influential contributing editor for Vogue Magazine.
According to sources, the model, whose Instagram links to a Black photography nonprofit organization and shows her support for progressive causes, is set to marry Deering Regan at Chateau Marmont on New Years Eve.
In March 2020, the hotel fired virtually its entire staff at the onset of the pandemic. Many of the hotel’s workers have since spoken out about their experiences working at the hotel, including on issues of disrespect, mistreatment, and a racially stratified workplace. Earlier this year, two Black women who worked at the hotel, Thommi Gross and April Blackwell, filed lawsuits alleging that they experienced discrimination and harassment while working at the famous hotel. The Chateau then forced both women’s lawsuits out of court and into private arbitration, a secret court system that disproportionately affects women of color.
Workers have called for a boycott of the Chateau Marmont until the hotel has demonstrated a commitment to respecting its workers’ years of service by rehiring them in accordance with their legal rights–and to ensuring that all workers, regardless of their race, sex, or background, feel treated with dignity and respect. The boycott has been supported by prominent Hollywood leaders and other celebrities, including Spike Lee, Issa Rae, Alfonso Cuaron, Jane Fonda, Gabrielle Union, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, as well as by Hollywood unions WGA-West, SAG-AFTRA, and IATSE. In the past year, film productions like Aaron Sorkin’s Being The Ricardo’s, and Paramount Plus’s Miniseries The Offer pulled planned film shoots from the Chateau in order to respect the boycott.
UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.
Contacts
Maria Hernandez | [email protected]