City officials said the union has ignored requests to reduce noise in the early morning hours during the strike. (photo by Joey Waldinger)

Attorneys for the city of Beverly Hills filed a noise complaint on Aug. 15 against the Unite Here Local 11 labor union, which has been holding intermittent protests at hotels across Southern California since early July as part of an ongoing strike for better benefits and higher wages.

According to Beverly Hills City Attorney Laurence Wiener, the union begins their protests as early as 5:30 a.m., banging drums and blaring megaphones waking up hotel guests and nearby residents.

City officials have tried to work with the union to persuade picketers to not make noise until after 8 a.m., and they decided to file a formal nuisance complaint after union leadership refused, Wiener said.

The complaint asks them not to make “excessive noise” between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., and the city will file for a temporary restraining order if the union ignores the complaint, Wiener said.

“It doesn’t mean they can’t protest,” Wiener added. “They can still protest, they just can’t create such noise that it is going to wake up neighbors across Wilshire.”

Wiener said the union has not responded to the complaint, and a union spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.