Hotel worker protections are being considered for inclusion in a sweeping ordinance proposed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 8, for those working in unincorporated parts of the county.
The proposed new hotel worker requirements are similar to those already in place in the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Long Beach and Glendale, the county reported.
The LA County ordinance would set the following working conditions:
• Mandates employers to provide personal security devices, also known as panic buttons, to all hotel employees who work in guest rooms or restrooms by themselves.
• For hotels with fewer than 40 rooms, a hotel worker would be limited to cleaning no more than 4,500 square feet of floor space in an eight-hour day. For hotels with 40 or more rooms, each worker would be limited to cleaning 3,500 square feet of floor space in a day. If an attendant goes over these thresholds, the employer must pay double pay for every hour worked during the workday.
• Prohibits working over 10 hours a day unless the hotel worker consents in writing.
• Requires yearly training to new employees or those who have not received training in the last five years. Training would include the following subject categories: identifying instances of human trafficking, domestic violence or violent and threatening conduct and ways to avoid insect or vermin infestations.
The board asked the Office of County Counsel to put these and other conditions into a hotel worker protection ordinance that applies to workers in the unincorporated areas of LA County. The ordinance would come back to the board for approval at a later date.
“Hotel workers, housekeepers, who are largely women of color, deserve to have a workplace that prioritizes their safety,” said Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who co-authored the motion. It was approved 3-0, with Horvath, and supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis in favor, with…
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