Fossil fuel companies in the hot seat about what they knew about climate change pg. 7
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Panxa Cocina: Old World Mexico meets New Mexican cuisine pg. 11 Mother’s Day Brunch with Mum in the Harbor Area pg. 12 San Pedro HS Showcases High Caliber Art pg. 17
How Mexican Cuisine Conquered the USA
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By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
[See Mexican Cuisine, page 17]
LB Hotel Workers Sue for Wage Theft Violations By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
On April 19, Long Beach Renaissance Hotel workers filed a class action lawsuit for multiple forms of what amounts to wage theft. This included denial of rest breaks and overtime pay, being forced to do unpaid prep work and not being reimbursed for expenses. “It’s very common in the hotel industry what’s happening at the Renaissance Hotel,” said Michael Morrison, the lead attorney who filed the suit. “You’ve got mostly immigrant and low-wage earners, who [are] basically being subjected to what’s called ‘off the clock work.’ That means that they’re working and not being paid for that time that doesn’t appear in their time records, even though the company knows that they’re performing this work.” But there are more issues involved than state law violations regarding rest periods and meal breaks. “There’s problems with them complying with the Long Beach municipal code,” which provides for five sick days a year, Morrison explained. “The company is taking the position that they’re only entitled to three sick days, because that’s what California provides.” The suit also includes an unfair business practice charge. When a company breaks the law by underpaying workers, it gets an unfair edge against its competition, too, which California forbids. But if no one is punished, the practices tend to spread. “So this, in the broader sense, is a good idea to sue these hotels about these violations, because it may make other hotels think twice about doing the same thing.” Morrison explained. There are three named plaintiffs, each representing a sub-class of workers with specific kinds of complaints in common: banquet subclass, housekeeping subclass and food service subclass. For example, the complaint alleges, “housekeepers are required to work off-the-clock daily. Specifically, housekeepers are required to come in to work anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour before the start of their scheduled shifts to prepare the materials they will use to clean service rooms. However, housekeepers are not compensated for their work.” Nor are they reimbursed for cleaning supplies and protective gloves purchased because management fails to provide them. They are also expected to clean a set number of rooms daily, often working unpaid overtime in order to meet their quotas.
The Local Publication You Actually Read
sk an Angelino, Latino or not, about their favorite taco truck or tamale guy and they will give you an answer. Just looking at my pantry, I am able to identify at least three different food items connected to Mexican cuisine. And, when I type “Mexican restaurants” into Google Maps for any Los Angeles zip code more than 20 restaurants pop up. Those of us who have been of drinking age for more than just a few years, can probably recall more than just a few nights of drunken debauchery involving Mexican food and liquor. All of these experiences are as American as a pizza. With Los Angeles being Los Angeles, we don’t just want the most authentic Mexican cuisine. We want the most authentic Mexican food combined with the most authentic Korean, Thai, Indian or any other of the many communities represented in Los Angeles. This complete assimilation of Mexican cuisine into the American culinary palate is what’s been on my mind as we close in on Cinco de Mayo weekend — the non-Mexican holiday that only Americans seem to celebrate. I called OC Weekly editor and ¡Ask a Mexican!
Chef Art Gonzales
April 28 - May 11, 2016
Illustration by Suzanne Matsumiya with apologies to Diego Rivera.
[See Hotels Workers, page 6]
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