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Saint A's Hosts SMART by Christine Danelski
On February 26th, St. A's opened Pierson Hall to Santa Monica Allied for Responsible Tourism (SMART) and its constituents, hotel and restaurant workers, to allow them to gather in solidarity and fellowship for dinner and an informational meeting. Since September 11th, nationally the hospitality industry has suffered a marked decline and many working in the industry have had their hours severely cut back or have been laid off entirely. The Santa Monica area has been no exception. This evening's event was a chance for locally displaced workers and their families to come together and receive assistance: a fifty dollar coupon for groceries, sign up for free health insurance through Kaiser and the opportunity to begin paperwork for rent assistance through the Teamsters Union, as well as to enjoy a meal of homemade tamales.
The Rev. Joyce Stickney, Henry Etta Waters, Marc Crocetti and I attended as representatives of St. A's. When I arrived shortly after five, about one hundred people, many of them families, had quietly lined up along the north stairs that lead down to the auditorium. As people entered, they registered for the various services offered and then moved to the opposite side of the room to get their meals. After everyone had registered, Joyce offered a prayer of hope and thanksgiving. While people finished eating, a power point presentation was given in Spanish about the local hotel industry. We learned that hotel occupancy and profits have steadily increased over the past several years to more than $400 million dollars per year in Santa Monica itself (the figures for 2001 were not yet available), that Santa Monica enjoys a higher occupancy rate than the greater Los Angeles area, and the average price per room is $200 per night in this city, making it equivalent to what is charged in Manhattan. Surprisingly, only two hotels in Santa Monica are unionized, the Miramar Fairmont and the Pacific Shores Hotel. (The Pacific Shores Hotel is currently closed for renovation.) Here the average hotel worker's wage is around ten dollars an hour; in New York because of the stronger union presence, the average wage is eighteen dollars an hour. The city of Santa Monica receives a hotel tax of 12% per night per room in addition to the state's 8% sales tax.
The meeting ended before seven. Children raced around the hall. Adults stood in small knots, reluctant to let the evening end. Marc, Henry Etta, and I put away the chairs and tables. Then I left, grateful that St. A's had reached out to this community and its struggle.
Copyright © 2002 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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