L.A. County Passes Worker Recall, Retention Ordinances

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed right to recall and worker retention policies for janitorial, maintenance, security service and hospitality industries, essentially adopting the same measures taken previously by the city of Los Angeles. The right to recall ensures workers laid off due to the pandemic have jobs to return to, once the employer is able to resume business. The worker retention ordinance requires employees be kept on if a business changes ownership. “These added protections give workers who have built careers and livelihoods in industries that have been absolutely decimated by this pandemic, the peace of mind that, as these businesses start to come back, their jobs will still be there for them,” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. The ordinances would apply to hotels in the unincorporated area of the county that contain 50 or more guestrooms or have earned more than $5 million in gross receipts last year. Businesses that employ 25 or more janitorial, maintenance or security workers also fall under the ordinances. Workers will have five days to respond to a recall notice. Former employees with health concerns can use remaining sick leave before taking their job back, the county said in a statement. Employers that have a collective bargaining agreement in place would be exempt from the ordinances.