While Trump wages war on unions, blue cities are setting new standards—and defending them.

In Washington, the war on workers is in full swing. But in Los Angeles, unions are writing a different playbook—raising wages, expanding protections, and organizing to keep wins in place.

Earlier this year, the L.A. City Council passed the nation’s highest minimum wage for service-sector workers in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Dubbed the “Olympic Wage,” the ordinance guarantees higher pay and health care benefits for tens of thousands of workers, many of them Black, brown, immigrant, and deemed essential to successful tourism in the city.

Unfortunately, corporate-backed forces are trying to take it all away.

A petition to rescind the Olympic Wage ordinance has been officially submitted, with enough signatures to force the issue onto the ballot—unless it’s withdrawn or disqualified.

The campaign to overturn the wage increase has been riddled with deception: signature gatherers were caught misleading voters, claiming the measure would protect the minimum wage and promote affordable housing. In reality, it does the opposite.

UNITE HERE Local 11 and a coalition of labor allies aren’t taking this lying down. They’ve launched a full-throated campaign to defend—and expand—the Olympic Wage. Their demands include:

  • Requiring voter approval for any taxpayer-subsidized hotel or event center;
  • Guaranteeing back pay for workers if legal challenges delay implementation;
  • And pushing city leaders to cement protections so corporate interests can’t undo them quietly.

And it’s working. Thanks to relentless worker organizing, city officials are already considering additional measures to protect the policy and penalize those behind the misinformation campaign.

This fight in Los Angeles isn’t just about wages—it’s about power. It’s about whether billionaires and corporations can outmaneuver democracy. And it’s about whether cities will stand with workers, or fold under pressure.

The contrast with Washington couldn’t be sharper. While Trump and his allies dismantle worker protections and kneecap federal labor agencies, workers in blue states are pushing forward—and holding the line.

This is what labor on offense looks like. But the fight isn’t over yet.

Read more at https://www.unitehere11.org/olympic-wage/