Alex Arger
Taylor Swift fans helping the economy with hotel revenue
Taylor Swift fans —"Swifties" —are boosting the economy with hotel stays, from traveling thousands of miles to see the singer on the Eras Tour.
LEARN MOREPosted: 6:11 p.m. EDT Aug 2, 2023
While Los Angeles Swifties and others traveling to the city anxiously await the pop star's stage arrival, the city's politicians want her and her tour to hop in a "Getaway Car" out of the city.
In an open letter released Tuesday, state and local politicians urged Taylor Swift to postpone her sold-out, six-night stint in Los Angeles, which is set to kick off Thursday at Sofi Stadium, because of the city's striking hotel workers.
"We are writing in support of the hotel housekeepers across Los Angeles," the letter states. "They make beds, clean bathrooms and take care of every guest need. But right now, workers say they are struggling to make ends meet."
Swift's "Eras" tour has benefited many of the cities it's touched, especially in the tourism sector. In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling and tripling their prices because of the tour, the open letter says.
But dozens of politicians, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Koulanakis, say the boost in business isn't beneficial to the workers that make it happen.
"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," the letter says.
Unite Here Local 11, the union representing more than 32,000 hotel workers, are striking for a $10 hourly wage increase, affordable family health care, higher pension contributions and a "fair and humane workload." Around half of its members have been on strike since contracts expired in June.
"Hotel workers are fighting for their lives," the open letter says. "They are fighting for a living wage. They have gone on strike. Now, they are asking for your support."
Besides Koulanakis, who attended an Eras tour stop last weekend, others who signed the letter include state senators, assemblymembers, city council members, mayors and more from various California cities.
Swift's representatives haven't commented on the open letter.
