As Pasadena gears up for its annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl festivities, hotel workers from Hilton Pasadena and Hyatt Place Pasadena are preparing to strike at dawn on New Year's Eve, reported FOX LA. The strike is part of a larger labor dispute led by Unite Here Local 11, with cooks, room attendants, and other employees seeking wage increases, affordable health insurance, and better work conditions.

Representatives of the striking workforce revealed, according to Unite Here Local 11, wage improvements are necessary to keep up with Los Angeles' skyrocketing housing costs. Attempts to reach Aimbridge Hospitality and Ensemble Hospitality, the operators of the respective hotels, for a comment were made without immediate success, as detailed in a report by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Hospitality workers' unrest has surged since July, marking what Unite Here Local 11 calls 'the largest hotel worker strike in modern history'. While major hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton have managed to reach agreements in Southern California, Aimbridge and Ensemble are accused by the union of refusing to meet these new contract standards. Recently, Ensemble's Hotel Maya in Long Beach was criticized after an employee became the target of violence for the second time since August.

The labor dispute, poised to coincide with the influx of guests for the New Year's celebrations, means that hotel service may be severely impacted during one of Pasadena's busiest times. The Hilton and Hyatt workers are staging a parallel New Year’s Eve parade starting at 6 p.m., in demonstration of their grievances, at the Hilton Pasadena, says the labor union which represents over 32,000 hospitality workers.