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Tourism and airport workers urge council to defend Olympic wage; call out Delta, United and Starbucks
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Summary
Workers, union organizers and allied groups urged the Los Angeles City Council to defend the recently adopted Olympic wage and resist corporate pressure from Delta, United and hotel industry groups. Several speakers also asked the council to demand that Starbucks be removed from an Olympic role until it addresses alleged labor violations.
A steady stream of tourism workers, union organizers and allied community groups used the public‑comment period to press the Los Angeles City Council to defend the Olympic wage and to resist pressure from airline and hotel corporations seeking to overturn or undercut the policy.
"We need to maintain the Olympic wage intact," said a speaker who packages airline food at LAX, accusing Delta and United of attempting to "hold the city hostage." Fatima Murrieta, a senior organizer with Jobs To Move America, said tourism workers "stood strong against every attack" from airline and hotel interests and urged council members to "live up to Angelino's mandate."
Veronica Gonzales, an organizer with Starbucks Workers United, urged the council to deny Starbucks a seat at Olympic planning until the company stops what she described as "union busting" and signs fair contracts. "Starbucks will represent Los Angeles to the world, but Starbucks has not earned that privilege," Gonzales said.
Multiple workers from airport and hospitality jobs recounted organizing efforts and urged the council to resist corporate‑funded referendum campaigns and lobbying. "Don't let Olympic sponsors like Delta get away with this. Defend the wage," Jordan Long, a bartender at the Delta One Lounge at LAX, told the council.
Speakers included labor organizers, union representatives and workers from multiple parts of the hospitality and airport ecosystem; several emphasized that the Olympic wage passed recently and that corporate actors are pursuing referenda or campaign efforts to overturn it. The council did not take an immediate final vote on any change to the Olympic wage during the meeting; public commenters asked council members to stand firm as the city prepares for the 2028 Olympics.
