Rain Dampens March for Better Wages

Amid prayers for their well-being--and for some divine intervention for their employers--500 supporters of a higher minimum wage marched through this beachside city’s hotel district Monday.

But rain and local police put a damper on the protesters’ parade, and few people saw the one-mile march from Hotel Casa del Mar and Shutters on the Beach to the Miramar Hotel downtown.

Although a driving rainstorm ended as the protest began with prayers offered by three religious leaders, onlookers were scarce after police blocked off all traffic along the Ocean Avenue march route.

Marchers chanted their support for a proposal that would nearly double wages for about 3,000 beach-area hotel workers to $10.69 an hour. A competing proposal supported by local businesses calls for a wage increase to $8.32 per hour.

Because of the rain, few guests at the Casa del Mar and Shutters hotels witnessed the prayer session.

But a spokesman for the two hotels issued a statement contending that the lowest starting wage paid at both hotels to any employee not eligible for tips is already $10.25. The average pay for all employees at the two hotels is more than $15 per hour, the spokesman said.