Monterey County considers ordinance allowing laid-off hospitality workers to return to jobs

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) A new ordinance has been proposed in Monterey county that would allow laid-off hospitality and travel workers to have the right to get jobs back when the economy reopens.

Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo proposed the "Monterey County Hospitality and Travel Worker Right-to-Recall Ordinance," which would require employers to recall the same workers they had before the pandemic when operations resume. It would require the employers to offer job positions that become available in writing to all laid off employees and make a final offer to the person who has worked there the longest.

According to Alejo, the hospitality and travel industries in Monterey County employed about 25,000 workers, and thousands of them have lost their jobs during the pandemic. He said thousands more are facing layoffs in the coming months.

“An employee recall ordinance would provide so much relief to thousands of hospitality workers who are worried about whether they will be called back to work,” said Bertrand DePrez who has worked in hospitality for 38 years. “We have dedicated our careers to hospitality and there’s no better way to show appreciation than by providing protections to ensure that we will return to our jobs just as we were before this crisis hit us all.”

Read the full proposed ordinance below: