TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to draft an ordinance amending Chapter 5.54 of the Long Beach Municipal Code adding hotel worker safety provisions to the existing ordinance.
DISCUSSION
On November 13, 2018, the City Council adopted an ordinance relating to hotel worker
safety precautions as a proactive action to ensure that all hotels and lodgings are
providing public safety protections to employees who are required to work alone in
guest rooms, restrooms or other locations where they may be vulnerable to unprovoked
or wanted contact. That ordinance primarily required all hotel and lodging employers of
all sizes, including motels, to provide an emergency contact device, often referred to as
a panic button to each hotel employee assigned to work in a guest room or other space
without other hotel employees present, at no cost to the hotel employee. In furtherance
of the City's interest in continuing to proactively address this public safety issue, the
ordinance can be strengthened by amending the definition of "hotel employer" to extend
the compliance obligations upon all contractors and subcontractors performing work in
the hotel, adding a no retaliation clause, and requiring hotel employers to provide
written notification to hotel employees of their rights under the ordinance.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact has not yet been determined.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
JEANNINE PEARCE
COUNCILMEMBER, SECOND DISTRICT
LENA GONZALEZ
COUNCILWOMAN, FIRST DISTRICT
SUZIE PRICE
COUNCILWOMAN, THIRD DISTRICT
ROBERTO URANGA
COUNCILMEMBER, SEVENTH DISTRICT