Why do LA politicians want Taylor Swift to postpone tour dates?

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which began on 17 March in Glendale, Arizona, is coming towards the end of its US leg, with only six shows left, all of which will see her perform at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California,

The 33-year-old’s run in Inglewood is due to get underway on Thursday, much to the annoyance of a group of state and local politicians, who as late as Tuesday urged Swift to postpone her sold-out shows.

Not because they are concerned about their home city being struck by seismic activity, as happened last week in Seattle, but instead because a vast number of hotel workers in Los Angeles are currently on strike.

Why are hotel workers on strike in Los Angeles and Southern California?

Employees across Southern California have been campaigning all summer for higher wages and better benefits and working conditions, with their pay not in keeping with soaring housing costs in the area, forcing them to make longer commutes.

Unite Here Local 11, a trade union which represents over 32,000 hotel workers, are pushing for workers’ wages to increase by $10 an hour, along with cheaper family health care, higher pensions and a “fair and humane workload”.

Trade union issue open letter to Taylor Swift

In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling - and in some cases tripling - how much they charge on the nights that Swift is performing, according to an open letter written by the union which addresses the singer-songwriter directly. It in, Unite Here Local 11, backed by Lieutenant Governor of California Elena Kounalakis and other politicians, claims many workers are “struggling to make ends meet”, while “some of them even sleep in their cars between shifts” and “others are at risk of losing their homes”.

Full Unite Here Local 11 letter:

“We are writing in support of the hotel housekeepers across Los Angeles. They make beds, clean bathrooms, and take care of every guest need. But right now, workers say they are struggling to make ends meet.

Your shows make our region’s hotels a lot of money. In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming. The hotels are making more money than ever, but many workers cannot afford to live close to where they work. Some of them even sleep in their cars between shifts. Others are at risk of losing their homes.

Hotel workers are fighting for their lives. They are fighting for a living wage. They have gone on strike. Now, they are asking for your support”.

Appel for Swift to “stand with workers” and postpone gigs

In closing, the union plead with Swift to “stand with workers and postpone your concerts”, the first of which is due to take place in a matter of hours. Neither the singer nor her representatives have responded to the plea.