Union Files Complaint Against Loews Hotel

A hotel workers’ union filed a civil rights complaint against Loews Santa Monica Beach hotel Wednesday, claiming managers illegally asked employees for proof of citizenship or legal residency when workers were called back from temporary layoffs.

Loews spokeswoman Sara Harper said all returning employees were “treated like any new hires” and that the hotel was merely complying with federal law. The complaint, she said, was invalid.

Kurt Peterson, a spokesman for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 814, said one worker was dismissed when a check showed her Social Security number was invalid. She had worked at the hotel for four years using the same number, he said.

Two other employees were fired after they presented Social Security numbers that did not match those on file, he said. Peterson said the new numbers were valid, but that the employees previously had used false documents.

The complaint was filed with the Office of Special Counsel, a division of the Department of Justice which was created to protect immigrants from discrimination under a 1986 law, which made it illegal for employers to hire undocumented immigrants. Peterson said because the workers were not new hires, their status should not have been checked. He also said managers only checked Latino employees, which would be discriminatory.

The hotel laid off 50 employees in response to the post-Sept. 11 slump in tourism, but has hired at least 30 back, Harper said.