Recovery For All of Us: Mayor de Blasio Signs Legislation to Require Severance pay for Hotel Service Employees

October 5, 2021

NEW YORK—Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Intro. 2397-A, sponsored by Council Member Francisco Moya, into law. This legislation requires severance pay for hotel service employees if a hotel with over 100 rooms that laid off over 75% of its employees or closed during the pandemic fails to reopen by November 1st, 2021. If a hotel does not reopen by November 1st, the legislation requires the hotel to pay a weekly benefit of $500 per employee for a period of up to 30 weeks.

“This legislation is about justice for working New Yorkers and giving our hotel workers their fair share,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The tourism sector is critical to New York City, and having hotels reopen and employees back to work will supercharge our recovery.”

“The signing of this bill is another step forward towards a fair economic recovery from COVID, a pandemic that has hit hard the very communities that hotel workers represent. This legislation is not only providing our city’s greatest ambassadors with a much-needed economic lifeline, we are also protecting the livelihoods of families and revitalizing New York City’s hotel industry. We are already seeing the impact of this legislation with two major NYC hotels announcing they’re reopening, representing 1,000 jobs and counting. I look forward to seeing more hotels reopening, more people getting back to work, more tourism, and a better and stronger NYC. I thank the Mayor and my colleagues in the NYC Council for supporting this legislation and our city's hotel workers,” said Council Member Francisco Moya. 

“It’s not often you see legislation have such a clear and immediate positive impact, but today is one of those days. By encouraging hotels to reopen and recall their workers, this bill will give thousands of jobless New Yorkers the hope and financial security they so desperately need.  Major hotels have already announced their reopening and started calling workers back to their jobs thanks to this legislation. We thank Mayor de Blasio for signing it into law and Council Member Moya for leading the charge,” said Rich Maroko, President of the NY Hotel Trades Council (HTC).

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