Alex Darocy Photography

After two and a half years of protests at La Playa Carmel, former workers who lost their jobs in 2011 continue to return to the hotel to walk the picket line and protest. Likewise, community members have consistently joined the workers to walk the picket line over the years, as have public officials and political candidates. At a rally held at the expensive, Carmel-by-the-Sea area hotel on June 20, two of those in attendance were former workers who had each been employed at La Playa for over 20 years before losing their jobs. 113 workers were laid off as a group when the hotel was sold and remodeled in 2011. After fighting for first right of refusal when re-applying, the workers received nothing from the new owner, Sam Grossman, and only two of the 113 were re-hired at the time of the La Playa's re-opening in the summer of 2012. In response, a coalition of workers, community members, politicians, activist groups, and the labor union Unite Here return to La Playa Carmel every ...

The fight for justice for the former La Playa workers has extended into 2014, as monthly labor rallies continue to be held at the Carmel-by-the-Sea area hotel, and the word "fight" is not an overstatement. The Union has Vowed to Fight for Years if Necessary Workers have now gone two years without a union contract at La Playa Carmel. In the Fall of 2011 the hotel and restaurant were closed for remodeling and the staff was laid off. This effectively ended the union's representation of the workers there. Over half of the 113 former workers at La Playa had worked there for 20 years or more. They were members of Unite Here Local 483, the labor union that represents hotel, restaurant, and other hospitality workers in the Monterey Bay area, and a union contract had been held at La Playa for the prior 40 years. After first demanding the workers be rehired, the union asked that the formers workers be guaranteed first right of refusal for any jobs that opened up at the hotel. ...

Santa Claus made a repeat visit to the hotel workers rally held at La Playa Carmel this year in December. Community members continue to protest owner Sam Grossman's refusal to rehire the workers who were laid off in 2011 when the hotel was closed for a remodel. When La Playa Carmel re-opened in 2012, only three of the former workers, who were all union members, were hired back. At the holiday rally held at the hotel on December 20, a former La Playa worker named Sergio said in Spanish, "I miss working here. I worked for 23 Christmases in this restaurant, and the last three I haven't worked." "We are going to continue our fight for the next year, and we wont quit until we win," he added. Ramon, who worked at La Playa for 27 years, said in Spanish, "We are going to fight the boss until he understands he has to take us back." Officials from Unite Here Local 483, the labor union that represents the workers who were laid off at La Playa, said they...

On August 16, community members returned to La Playa Carmel for a boycott rally in support of the workers who lost their jobs when the hotel shutdown and re-opened in the summer of 2012 after a change of ownership. The Friday labor rally coincided with the final events in a series of "elite" automobile shows occurring throughout the Monterey Peninsula, and protesters marched for justice for the former workers next to Ferraris and other high end vehicles parked in front of La Playa.  Ferrari At $450 a night for the least expensive room on the weekends at La Playa Carmel, the hotel is a luxury vacation destination where expensive automobiles are commonly seen. With the shows happening, however, the median price tag of the cars outside of the hotel the day of the rally appeared to have jumped up a notch.  Two Ferraris, a Maserati, and an Aston Martin represented just a few of the expensive makes parked in front of La Playa on the day of the boycott rally. As they mar...

On June 7, former workers and community members marched at La Playa Carmel to protest the first year of Sam Grossman's ownership of the hotel. The unionized workers were laid off when the Carmel-by-the-Sea hotel closed in 2011, and since its reopening under Grossman's management, only three of the former 113 workers have been rehired. To those at the demonstration, Grossman's decision not to re-hire the workers has been seen as a union-busting attempt which has not worked. They feel that as a result of the demonstrations in Carmel their negotiations with other establishments in the area have benefited, which has further strengthened their resolve to not quit the battle with La Playa's management. At the end of the rally on June 7, a former La Playa worker named Ramon, who has attended the demonstrations outside of the hotel regularly, said, "I worked here for 22 years and I have some co-workers who worked here for more than 30 years, and it is not fair that th...