Turnabout on Living Wage

The new owner of the Four Points Sheraton Hotel has rehired 12 workers who were let go earlier in the week and will pay the city of L.A.'s living wage of at least $9.39 an hour - despite efforts by other LAX hotel operators to fight the new ordinance through a referendum effort. "We are committed to paying all our workers the living wage and to improving the human condition of all our personnel in Los Angeles," said Michael Gallegos, president and chief executive of American Property Management. “We challenge all the other hotels to get on the right side of this issue." Gallegos said the commitments would cost the hotel at least $1 million in additional wages and salaries and several hundred thousand dollars more in benefits. The decision to break ranks apparently came after meeting with a bunch of city and state officials. The Business Journal has the story.