Rep. Andrew Carlson (DFL-Bloomington) and House Democrats are proposing new legislation to help laid-off hospitality and service sector workers return to their jobs. It’s one of many immediate actions that House Democrats are proposing to respond to the needs of workers, families, and small businesses hit hardest by the pandemic. High-quality video and audio of this virtual press conference will be available here this afternoon.
“In 2020, many of us had to cancel our travel plans for graduation, summer vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on. However, behind these visible personal impacts are our hospitality workers that are hit hard by the pandemic due to restaurant, hotel and airport layoffs.” said Rep. Carlson. “We need to pass legislation that will create a pathway forward to economic recovery for Minnesotans, especially communities of color who make up 71% of displaced hospitality workers. My new bill will ensure that these workers are heard and supported by their state government.”
Rep. Carlson’s bill applies to Minnesotans employed by hotels, airports, and event centers; the facilities attached to them, including restaurants, bars, and retail; as well as related services, including maintenance, security, ticketing, ground-handling, and food and beverage services. It also applies to an enterprise providing maintenance and security services to office, retail, or commercial buildings, like a staffing agency.
“If we loved our job before COVID-19, there is no reason we shouldn’t be able to know we can go back it,” says Tamra Huston, 59, a member of hospitality worker union Unite Here Local 17 laid off by Delta Hotel by Marriott in Minneapolis on March 15, 2020 due to the pandemic. “I think enough people have given up enough or lost enough in their lives without also losing the job that they love. I absolutely love my job at the Delta Hotel. I love the people that I work with and before COVID I had a lot of customers that would come back regularly because they would always come to the same hotel on business. I would get to know them. I want to be back there.”
To be eligible for rehire and retention benefits, Minnesotans need to have worked for their employer for at least six months in the year prior to January 31, 2020, and become unemployed after January 31, 2020, due to the pandemic. Employers would be required to provide eligible workers with information about available job positions for which they qualify, and to rehire employees based on a preference system of qualifications and seniority.
“I like being able to help make sure people are comfortable and safe at events, helping them have a great experience at the events they attend. Last year after COVID we slowly started losing events, but I kept working April until August at reduced hours. In the last five months I've been mostly laid off, working less than two weeks total in that time,” said Willie Jones, Jr, a member of SEIU Local 26 who has done event security for the last 20 years. “I would be devastated if we didn't have our jobs when things get back to normal. We shouldn't get kicked to the curb because of a pandemic. We need the politicians to step up to make sure no employer uses this pandemic as an excuse to get rid of experienced employees. I hope this bill passes easily and we can be confident we will still have our jobs when we finally get past this pandemic.”
To enforce the proposed rehire and retention benefits, Rep. Carlson’s bill provides for investigation and enforcement of complaints by the Department of Labor and Industry’s Labor Standards and Apprenticeship Division, which may award hiring and reinstatement rights, daily front or back pay, or missed benefits for violations. Local governments would have the option to impose greater standards.
“Minnesota workers and families are struggling to get ahead while the rich and well-connected do better and better,” said Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “Long before the pandemic, it wasn’t uncommon for hospitality and service sector workers to work multiple jobs to support their families and pay their bills. This Legislature can choose to prioritize working families, or it can prioritize people who are doing extremely well.”
The next step for Rep. Carlson’s bill is a public hearing in the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 8:30am.