Since July 2023, hotel workers in Los Angeles have staged intermittent strikes over low wages and lack of affordable housing near their workplaces. Several LA-area hotels have not yet reached new contract agreements with hotel workers; the JW Marriott at LA Live (the location of the 2024 American Association of Biological Anthropologists conference) is one of them. The AABA Executive Committee is aware of this situation, and is monitoring it closely. The AABA supports hotel workers and the union efforts to increase wages. We call for the JW Marriott at LA Live to sign a union agreement. We will clearly state our position during our advance team planning meeting on site in December.

We would also like to advise members that a union group is making frequent calls to the AABA Executive Committee and to members directly (including student members), demanding that we boycott the hotel. Individual members, identifiable through public sources, are receiving phone calls or e-mails. We emphasize that, in line with our privacy policy, the AABA does not disclose member information of any kind. Individuals should respond to these calls as they see fit.