L.A. City Council to Consider Hospitality Employee Recall Rule

In an e-meeting scheduled Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles City Council will consider a Right to Recall ordinance for businesses in the hospitality industry – and one Valley business organization opposes the measure. According to the recall ordinance, hotel, janitorial, stadium, airport service and event center employees discharged during the COVID-19 pandemic would be offered their positions back based on seniority, retroactive to Jan. 31. As written, the ordinance would be in effect indefinitely. Businesses would be required to offer employment in writing by mail, email and text message; former employees would have 10 days to respond. Employers that decide to hire a new employee based on better qualifications must send a written notice to the discharged worker within 30 days of the new hire. An employer could be sued by a former employee for alleged noncompliance. “This ordinance would burden businesses in the hospitality industry who have already faced the brunt of the economic impact of the public health crisis as a result of closures and reduced travel,” the Valley Industry & Commerce Association in Van Nuys said in a statement. In an email on Friday, VICA asked members to contact City Council members with objections to the recall ordinance. A similar ordinance covering all businesses in the city was proposed at an 11-hour virtual meeting on March 27, but it was tabled for discussion at a later date.