Measure RW — a hotel wage law with teeth
Measure RW was adopted on March 5, 2024 and is codified at Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.48.020. It phases in the hotel-worker rate, which is $26.50 per hour effective July 1, 2026.
The service-charge provision is easy to overlook and frequently valuable: the employer may not retain those charges. If service charges were added to guest bills and did not reach you, that is a distinct question from whether your hourly rate was correct.
Where a Long Beach case is heard
Every Long Beach ZIP code routes unlimited civil matters to a single courthouse: the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 275 Magnolia, whose directory lists “Civil Unlimited” among its services. Federal claims go to the Western Division courthouses in downtown Los Angeles.
Note that a Los Angeles County employment case may optionally be filed in the Central District downtown under Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(B).
Working in Long Beach
The city’s economy is built around the port: logistics, transportation and supply chain, alongside aerospace and aviation, health care, education, tourism and hospitality, the creative economy, and clean energy.
Port and logistics work produces a recognizable pattern — shift differentials and overtime calculation, off-the-clock time at the start and end of shifts, independent-contractor arrangements in drayage and trucking, and safety reporting followed by a change in assignments.
Every claim has deadlines, and some are short. We go over yours in the first conversation.
Questions people ask
Frequently asked questions
- What is Measure RW?
- A Long Beach hotel-worker wage law, adopted on March 5, 2024 and codified at Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.48.020. It sets the hotel-worker minimum wage at $26.50 per hour effective July 1, 2026 and requires service charges to be paid in full to workers.
- Service charges were added to guest bills at my hotel but did not reach me. Is that a separate claim?
- It can be. Under Measure RW the employer may not retain those charges; they are payable in full to the workers. Whether the service charges reached you is a distinct question from whether your hourly rate was correct.
- Where is a Long Beach employment case heard?
- Every Long Beach ZIP code routes unlimited civil matters to the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 275 Magnolia, whose directory lists Civil Unlimited among its services. An employment case may also optionally be filed in the Central District downtown under Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(B). Federal claims go to the Western Division courthouses in downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County
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Costa Mesa, California
3420 Bristol Street, Suite 600
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Toll-free: 888-838-SOCO (7626)
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Consultations by phone and video.
SoCo Law Firm P.C.3420 Bristol Street, Suite 600
We represent employees in Long Beach and the surrounding area.
