Workers say hotels broke law by not giving time for breaks.ADD more fuel to the hotel fire. Four hotel workers at the Westin Century Plaza Hotel The Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel forming a sweeping crescent design fronting the spectacular fountains on Avenue of the Stars adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers. & Spa and the St. Regis Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. have filed a $10 million lawsuit against operator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. for failing to provide them meal and rest breaks. The suit, a potential class action of 1,000 employees who have worked at the hotels since September 2000, was filed in September amid ongoing negotiations between the hotels and Unite HERE UNITE HERE is a labor union with more than 450,000 active members in the United States and Canada, predominantly in the hotel, food service, apparel and textile manufacturing, laundry, warehouse, and casino gaming industries. , which represents hotel workers. The suit is not related to the labor negotiations, said Puja puja In Hinduism, a form of ceremonial worship. It may range from brief daily rites in the home to an elaborate temple ritual. A typical puja offers the image of a deity the honours accorded to a royal guest. Batra, an attorney at Bahan & Associates, the Pasadena law firm representing the four. "The investigation has been going on for many, many months on this case," she said. "People were really being worked too hard. There was no one available to relieve them. They had a certain amount of things they had to get done, so they had to work the entire shift." Under California's Labor Codes and wage laws, workers who are entitled en·ti·tle tr.v. en·ti·tled, en·ti·tling, en·ti·tles 1. To give a name or title to. 2. To furnish with a right or claim to something: to overtime pay must receive a 30-minute meal period and two 10-minute rest periods if they work an eight-hour shift. Employees deprived of those breaks are entitled to at least one hour of regular pay. Batra estimates the suit, which is seeking class certification in L.A. Superior Court, could reach $10 million in damages. The lead plaintiff is Edgar Bonilla, a room service cook who began working at Century Plaza in 1998. Starwood spokeswoman Nadeen Iyala declined to comment on pending litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. . |
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