R-9 Correspondence – Unite Here Local 11
From: Charlie Carnow [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2022 12:11 PM
To: CityClerk <[email protected]>
Cc: Kurt Petersen <[email protected]>
Subject: Support for Item #9: Make Covid-19 Recall and Retention Protections Permanent
-EXTERNAL-
Attached is Unite Here Local 11's letter of support for Item 9 on the February 15th, 2022 Council Meeting.
Thanks
Charlie Carnow
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Charlie Carnow, Research Analyst
UNITE HERE Local 11
Phone: (818) 635-3034
Email: [email protected]
464 Lucas Ave., Suite 201 • Los Angeles, California 90017 • (213) 481-8530 • FAX (213) 481-0352 February 14th, 2022 Hon. Mayor Robert Garcia and City Council 411 West Ocean Blvd, 11th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802 Dear Mayor Garcia and City Councilmembers, On behalf of UNITE HERE Local 11 and the 32,000 hotel and food service workers we represent, including hundreds who live and work in Long Beach, we urge you to direct staff to make the City’s recall and retention ordinances (Long Beach Municipal Code “LBMC” Chapters 5.53 and 5.55) for hotel and janitorial workers permanent. These essential workers have been among the hardest hit during COVID-19, and it is key for the City’s economic recovery to ensure that longtime workers are not displaced by major interruptions in the economy. Most workers in these industries are immigrant women of color, who have fought hard to make these jobs pathways to the middle class. They should not suffer the impacts of permanent displacement from the jobs that many of them have held for years, and in some cases, decades, for no fault of their own. Like major economic downturns in recent history, the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will last for years. Permanent recall and retention requirements will ensure a trained and stable workforce as the City navigates the unpredictable road to recovery. Even before the pandemic, these industries were vulnerable to changes in ownership. Mass layoffs both remove experienced workers from the hotel and building services workforces, and place demands on social services provided by the City and other governments. This is why the City of Santa Monica passed a permanent recall ordinance in the wake of 9/11, and permanent worker retention in 2019. Since then, the cities of Glendale and West Hollywood have followed suit. Long Beach would be the first city to protect the jobs of vulnerable building service industry workers. In sum, the City of Long Beach should continue to lead in economic recovery by protecting protect essential workers in hotels and building services through permanent right of recall and retention. Regards, Kurt Petersen Co-President, UNITE HERE Local 11