Furloughed hotel employees could be required to take a Covid-19 test before returning to work, and receive at least 30 paid days off if they test positive, through a new union deal.
The New York Hotel Trades Council said it has finalized an agreement on safe reopening standards with the operators of roughly 130 hotels in the city, upstate and in New Jersey.
"The unionized hotel industry in New York City is taking a smart approach to expanding health and safety standards inside hotels, which both protects workers and gives peace of mind to travelers," said Peter Ward, president of the Hotel Trades Council.
Through the deal, hotel workers will be required to wear masks at all times and will have their temperatures checked each day. Guests will be required to wear masks in the lobby and other common spaces. Hotels will add social spacing reminders and scrub floors with an anti-microbial solution on a daily basis.
Both hotel operators and the union are focused on how to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as the city economy reopens and hotels anticipate the slow return of guests, while also bringing back more workers.
Hotel owners will have the right to require all furloughed employees be tested before returning to work at the hotel's expense.
Any worker found with a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater will be required to take a Covid-19 test. The employee will then be given paid time off for the test and the duration it takes for results. Hotel workers will also be paid for an additional three days off if they are tested because they were potentially exposed in the workplace.
If an employee tests positive for Covid-19, they will be granted 20 extra sick days, along with the days already granted to them by state and federal governments. That could total at least 34 additional paid days off in New York, according to a union official.
The agreement also extends safety terms that hotels and the union reached at the start of the pandemic in March. Hotels must dedicate staff for regular cleaning of common areas and daily cleaning of rooms. Workers will also be trained on how to direct guests for medical help if they have Covid-19 symptoms.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation similar to the deal on June 11 that requires daily room cleaning and regular sanitizing of hotel common areas, a bill opposed by some hotels for its potential costs. Ward said the City Council should consider mandating similar rules to protect non-union hotel workers.
A representative for the Hotel Association of New York City, an industry group, did not immediately return a request for comment on the agreement.
The union's first deal expired on June 15. This agreement lasts through Aug. 1.
Called the Coronavirus Safety Protocols, the deal is part of an effort to revive an industry that is among the hardest hit by Covid-19.
As essential businesses, hotels remained open through the worst of the pandemic. Occupancy rates sank to 15% in April and hotel occupancy tax collections are expected to slide by nearly a billion dollars this year statewide.
The union estimates that 90% of roughly 34,000 members have been laid off. Thousands have also gotten sick and at least 50 have died.
Hotel occupancy may not return to pre-pandemic levels until after 2024, according to estimates from the city Independent Budget Office.
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June 19, 2020 at 09:40PM
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New York Hotel Trades Council, New York City hotels reach deal on Covid-19 testing, safety standards - Crain's New York Business
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