New Ordinance Brings Chicago Hotel Staff Back to Work

To aid housekeepers and other workers in the hotel industry—one of hardest-hit job sectors during the pandemic—Chicago enacted the Right to Work ordinance (SO2020-5778) so that employees can return to work, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed the hotel work ordinance on June 25, making it immediately effective, after the Chicago City Council voted to pass it. The ordinance requires hotels to offer employees their previous positions before hiring replacement workers according to a news release from the mayor’s office.

The ordinance applies to all businesses in Chicago used or advertised as an inn, hotel, motel, or any similar business where sleeping accommodations are provided for a fee, and in which at least seven sleeping rooms are maintained for guests, according to the National Law Review.

Back in February, the proposed ordinance had support from housekeepers and unions, but employers opposed it. Hotel employers and union leaders, such as those representing Unite Here Local 1, negotiated until they reached a compromise on the ordinance, according to the Sun-Times. The City Council’s Committee on Workforce Development approved the compromised ordinance during a June 15 meeting.

“Thousands of hotel workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own can take comfort in knowing that when the guests come back to their hotels, they’ll be able to go back to work,” said Karen Kent, president of Unite Here Local 1. “I’m thankful for the support of the Chicago labor movement and for the mayor’s leadership as we take this crucial first step towards the equitable recovery that Chicago’s hospitality workers deserve.”

Changes to the ordinance brought about by the negotiations include:

• Hotels must rehire employees based on job availability rather than seniority
• Employees have five business days instead of 10 days to accept or refuse job offers
• Worker protections will remain until December 31, 2023, three years earlier than the initial date
• A 15-day “curing period” will allow hotels charged with violating the ordinance time to correct the matter before employees can file lawsuits seeking relief.