Writing Shotgun

YACHT CLUB EMPLOYEES FACE CONTRACT DOLDRUMS

Theo DouglasThu. December 06
 

Thanks mostly to the Los Angeles County Tax Assessor’s office–bringers of property tax–it’s difficult to be a landowner this time of year.

But the City of Long Beach, which owns the land under the Long Beach Yacht Club, finds itself in curious circumstances for an entirely different reason: labor negotiations at the Club, one of the city’s swankiest, most old-moneyed locales.

Around 80 Yacht Club employees–from gardeners to bartenders to waitresses–have been without a union contract since July 31, as Joe Segura told you in today’s Press-Telegram. How well those union negotiations are going is debatable.

A negotiating firm called The Rea Company is representing the Yacht Club; employees are represented by Unite HERE, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union, Local 681.

Pat Rea, who represents the club, told Segura that he has the “utmost respect” for the employees and for the union.

But at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, a server, a bartender, and a union representative told the Council that in contract negotiations, Yacht Club negotiators have made it clear they want to take away medical benefits from everyone who works less than 30 hours a week.

“Up until now, the Yacht Club has treated the employees fair, but the proposal they have brought to the table is unfair,” said 20-year server Donna Conner, a former Employee of the Month. City Council members listened and were quite sympathetic.

“I support your cause. I think healthcare is a right, not a privilege,” said Fourth District Councilman Patrick O’Donnell. “This facility exists on city-owned land. I’m not sure what tools there are. I think fair and adequate compensation is a community responsibility.”

But there aren’t many tools the Council may use on the employees’ behalf, City Attorney Bob Shannon said Tuesday night–despite the fact that Council members are automatically made honorary Yacht Club members.

“Just the fact that it exists on city land is not enough … to weigh in on labor disputes,” Shannon said.

Council members did find one possible way to make their voices heard: on paper. The council discussed writing a letter of concern about the labor negotiations to the Yacht Club.

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