California Legislation Aids Laid Off Hospitality Workers

Many housekeepers and other employees in the hospitality industry had to file for unemployment or find other work after restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic left them jobless. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 93, which will require employers in several hospitality sectors to rehire laid off workers when jobs become available, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The signed legislation requires hotels with 50 or more rooms; airport hospitality operations, stadiums, and event centers with at least 50,000 square feet or 1,000 seats; and custodial service companies to let their former employees know when jobs are available again. Employers must give their former workers five days to decide whether they want to come back. To be eligible, employees must have been employed for more than six months in the 12 months preceding January 1, 2020 and been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we progress toward fully reopening our economy, it is important we maintain our focus on equity,” Newsom said in a statement. “SB 93 keeps us moving in the right direction by assuring hospitality and other workers displaced by the pandemic are prioritized to return to their workplace.”

Laid off employees cannot file lawsuits to enforce the law, according to the legislation. California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency must enforce it. Businesses who do not comply will be fined for US$500 per employee per day and the law will be in effect until the end of 2024.

The legislation was passed earlier last week by the state legislature, which previously passed a similar law which Newsom vetoed last year, according to KRCR-TV. Lawmakers revised the new bill to remove some of the burden from struggling businesses.

David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Service Workers West, told KRCR that out of 48,000 union members, about 14,000 lost their jobs during the pandemic. “It’s bills like this that help support workers to make sure they are part of the recovery as well,” he said.

Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, which sponsored the bill, told the Los Angeles Times, “This is the biggest win for workers during the pandemic. This is a lifeline to workers who have been out of work a long time. This gives them a guaranteed right to go back.”