-

UNITE HERE Local 11: Two Women Filed Sex-Based Harassment Complaints with the Civil Rights Department Against the Long Beach Yacht Club

Long Beach Yacht Club’s executive chef allegedly mocked employee Julianne Perez for extending her maternity leave, an accommodation Ms. Perez requested because she suffered depression postpartum

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Julianne Perez and Vanessa Wainer filed complaints with the California Civil Rights Department for the alleged sex-based harassment the two mothers endured while working at the Long Beach Yacht Club. Both allege that the private club failed to respond appropriately to repeated complaints of sex-based harassment, specifically against pregnant women, that took place over the course of multiple years at the private club.

“I do not want anyone else at the Yacht Club, especially other women and expecting mothers, to experience what I’ve been through,” said Ms. Perez who was harassed throughout both her pregnancies by her supervisor, the Yacht Club’s executive chef. In her complaint, Ms. Perez alleges that the executive chef’s harassment across two pregnancies caused her to suffer anxiety attacks, stomach pains, and nightmares. Ms. Perez at times urinated on herself to avoid upsetting the executive chef who allegedly timed her restroom breaks when she was pregnant. The stress and fear Ms. Perez endured during her second pregnancy, her complaint alleges, caused her to fear for her baby’s wellbeing and drove her to start her maternity leave two months early.

Ms. Wainer, a former manager at the Yacht Club, also filed a complaint for the alleged sex-based harassment she endured throughout her time at the private club. According to the complaint, the executive chef told Ms. Wainer during work hours that “he hates women” and “viewed all women as money hungry liars.” On a different occasion, the complaint alleges that the executive chef told employees in the Yacht Club’s kitchen that, “[w]omen get pregnant because they are lazy and do not want to work.” Ms. Wainer allegedly overheard this comment as she was taking out trash about eight months into her pregnancy.

“The executive chef’s consistent abuse of women, including me, without appropriate consequences created an atmosphere of fear that made working at the Yacht Club a miserable experience,” said Ms. Wainer who left the Yacht Club in late 2025 because of the stress and fear she felt going to work.

The Long Beach Yacht Club is a private club located on public land. Workers at the club are negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement with UNITE HERE Local 11 to secure the protections and dignified working conditions all workers, including pregnant women, deserve.

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona that work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports.

Contacts

PRESS CONTACT: Maria Hernandez | mhernandez@unitehere11.org | 623-340-8047

Industry:

UNITE HERE

Release Versions
English

Contacts

PRESS CONTACT: Maria Hernandez | mhernandez@unitehere11.org | 623-340-8047

More News From UNITE HERE

UNITE HERE Local 11: As Los Angeles Prepares to Host the World, Report Exposes Labor Abuses at LAX Catering Company

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With mega-events set to bring tens of millions of visitors through Los Angeles International Airport, a damning new report reveals that Flying Food Group (FFG) — a company that caters food for international airlines at LAX — has systematically violated the labor rights of over 700 workers who make international travel possible. The report, Lax Standards: Assessing Flying Food Group LLC's Labor Practices under International Labor Standards, was authored by Deborah G...

Airline Catering Members of UNITE HERE Local 11 Testify at Public Truth Commission on Working Conditions at LAX Facility

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This week, airline catering workers employed by Flying Food Group at Los Angeles International Airport publicly shared their experiences before a Truth Commission composed of community leaders at Holman United Methodist Church. Over several hours of often emotional testimony before the Commission, more than a dozen Flying Food Group workers and advocates described unsafe conditions, wage theft and poverty wages, sexual harassment, labor violations, and retaliation...

On Eve of Trial, Flying Food Group Admits to Violating Worker Rights, in Settlement of Major Labor Case Says UNITE HERE Local 11

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Flying Food Group, an airline caterer for major airlines that has been at the center of controversy for allegations of unsafe conditions and labor abuse, agreed to settle a high-profile case at the National Labor Relations Board. In a highly unusual step, Flying Food Group was required to admit that it had violated workers’ federal labor law protections as part of the settlement. The outcome is considered a major victory for workers who have been speaking out about...
Back to Newsroom