On July 18, 2024, the New York City Council (“City Council”) introduced a bill requiring hotels to obtain additional licenses to operate in New York City (“Bill”). To the extent the Bill passes, hotel operators would have to meet certain requirements in order to get a license from the City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Pursuant to the Bill:
- The application term would be for one year and there would be an annual fee of $200.00.
- Large hotels (i.e., hotels with more than 100 guest rooms) would be required to maintain continuous front desk coverage and have at least one security guard.
- All hotels would be required to maintain a sanitation policy detailing chemical cleaner usage, surface sanitization frequency and protocols to be followed in case of vermin or pest infestation with specific reference to bedbugs and rodents.
- Notably, the licensee would be required to directly employ all core and critical employees, who would be subject to safety trainings.
- “Core employees” include “any employee whose job classification is related to housekeeping, front desk, front service or engineering at a hotel.”
- “Critical employees” include “any employee whose job classification is related to food preparation, food service or security.”
- Further, contracting with any third parties for core or critical employees, including staffing agencies or other contractors or subcontractors would not be allowed, except that:
- A hotel owner can retain a single management company to manage all hotel operations as long as the owner is the sole or joint employer of all core/critical employees; and
- A hotel owner may contract out the management of core/critical employees provided that a majority are covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement.
- On July 28, 2024, the City Council agreed to delay a planned July 30 hearing on the bill to allow for more time for feedback prior to taking the next step in the legislative process. This will give the City Council the opportunity to work on the Bill with partners in government, labor and industry stakeholders.
Meltzer Lippe is well versed in legislative developments. Employers with questions relative to the foregoing are encouraged to reach out to your Meltzer Lippe advisor or contact Daniel F. Carrascal or Nicholas P. Melito at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP.