Hotel Workers Rally at Statehouse

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WISH) - The state budget will likely include a plan to fix the Capital Improvement Board's $47 million budget shortfall. Some downtown hotel workers hope that plan includes an amendment to require some downtown hotels to disclose how much workers are paid.

Supporters of that plan rallied outside the statehouse today, hoping to gather support.

Liam Rouche, who works at both the downtown Westin and Hyatt hotels, said, "The handful of hotels that directly benefit from CIB investment, you know taxpayer money that goes into downtown area that they just have to uh be more accountable in the kind of jobs and work that they are creating."

Rouche believes accountability begins with disclosure, because these hotels are linked literally and figuratively to taxpayer money.
They benefit from visitors who come to the taxpayer supported convention center and sporting venues.

Republican State Representative Jerry Torr of Carmel is opposed to the amendment.

"They're private businesses not public businesses and they're entitled to keep their information private," Torr said.

But, some hotel workers argue hotels benefit from taxpayers' downtown investment; therefore, workers should benefit as well.

"You hear all this talk about Indianapolis has a $3.5 million dollar hospitality industry. I have two of those jobs and i still can't afford common necessities," Rouche said.

But Torr says, "If folks don't believe that they're making what they would consider a living wage, they need to figure out how to get the education and to get the skills that they need to earn a living wage in a job that pays better."