A legislative effort that would require that hotels provide its employers protections and “panic buttons”– similar to a Long Beach proposal that was approved for the November ballot earlier this month– was recently shelved and potentially won’t be introduced until next year.
Assembly Bill 1761 (AB 1761) would require that a hotel employer provide its employees panic buttons, electronic-contact devices, to summon assistance in the event of an emergency in a guestroom, according to the California Legislative Information website. The bill would also require, among other things, that hotel employers post a notice in each guestroom about the practice.
The assembly bill was delayed in the Senate Appropriations Committee recently in August, according to Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi.
On Wednesday, Muratsuchi, who represents California’s 66th district and co-authored the initiative, told the Signal Tribune via email that it was “unfortunate” the bill was delayed and that it will be reintroduced next year.
“AB 1761 proposed common-sense protections for working women in the hotel industry– which included providing them with panic buttons to use in an emergency situation,” Muratsuchi wrote. “Protecting these workers from sexual assaults and harassment is not a costly measure for the industry. […] I plan on reintroducing the bill next year and will reexamine the last version of the bill and also the concerns from the industry. My approach will be similar in pushing for more protections for hotel workers.”
In a Monday phone interview, Andrew Cohen, press secretary with Unite Here Local 11– a labor union that championed for the aforementioned hotel-protection proposal in Long Beach that was approved for the November ballot in early August– said harassment and assault are two major issues affecting workers in the hospitality industry, calling it an “ongoing problem.” He also expressed disappointment in AB 1761’s demise.
“The majority of hotel workers, the majority of housekeepers are immigrant women and women of color, and I think that it is no coincidence they are the worst treated, the most hazed workers in the industry,” he told the Signal Tribune. “They have one of the most difficult jobs that has the highest rate of injury. And, so, I think this is in line with a lack of concern for the well-being of people who do some of the most important jobs in the hotels.”
In response to those opposed to the idea of introducing panic buttons or extra protections for hotel workers because of potential high costs, Cohen said it is “laughable” to suggest that cost would be an issue in implementing the proposed protections, adding how the hospitality industry is one of the most profitable in the state.
“It’s sort of a moot point to put a price on the safety of workers in the first place,” Cohen said. “This has been established that it’s a widespread pervasive problem that workers, especially the ones that clean rooms– housekeepers– are the most likely to experience sexual assault. We have done studies that show that the majority of the workers in hotels have experienced sexual harassment, everything from being flashed by a guest to full-on sexual assault.”
Cohen also referenced statistics from a 2016 Chicago study– Hands Off, Pants On– which shows that 49 percent of housekeepers have had guests expose themselves or answer their doors naked. 65 percent of casino-cocktail servers have had guests grope them or touch them in an unwelcome way, the results also show.
More about the study can be found at handsoffpantson.org.
While members of Unite Here Local 11 are hopeful that AB 1761 will be revived in the near future and address the hotel issue on a statewide level, Cohen said the group is focusing its efforts on a local level, currently working on getting a similar initiative that was approved for the November ballot for Long Beach in areas such as Rancho Palos Verdes, Oakland and Los Angeles.
Cohen said other branches of the labor union have successfully approved proposals in New York, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas.
“Of course, our goal is to keep pushing this on a larger statewide conversation,” he said. “Our market share of workers that we cover is not the majority of hotel workers. A majority of hotel workers are not unionized. A lucky few are, and although our union continues to grow, I think to ensure that this problem is addressed something needs to be done on a larger scale than we can currently do through contract negotiations with individual [organizations].”
The Long Beach City Council unanimously approved earlier this month the “Stand with Women Against Abuse” proposal for the November ballot that would provide protections for hotel workers against sexual and violent assault.
Long Beach residents will vote to approve or deny the local version of the bill during the Nov. 6 election. Hotels, defined as those with more than 50 rooms, will provide a myriad of additional worker protections and the aforementioned panic buttons.
Although the citywide vote would determine whether all hotels would be mandated to utilize the aforementioned protocols, some local hotels have already independently negotiated with labor union Unite Here Local 11 to implement the protections, as reported by the Signal Tribune a few weeks ago.
The Long Beach Hyatt Pike and the Long Beach Hyatt Regency hotels agreed to provide panic buttons and an increase in wages, benefits and retirement plans for their employees, according to a the labor union’s press release earlier this month.
