Seattle hotel workers take fight for worker protections measure to state Supreme Court
When the state Court of Appeals struck down Initiative 124 on Christmas Eve 2018, the litany of protections for hospitality workers — including protections from sexual harassment — that 77 percent of Seattle voters approved were abolished with it.
The measure, which appeared on the ballot in November 2016, aimed to improve workplace conditions for housekeepers and other hotel employees. In addition to requiring that workers carry a panic button in the event of sexual harassment or assault, it also imposed workload limits for large hotels and extended some employment protections in the event of a change in ownership or management.
It also mandated that "large hotel" employers either provide health care subsidies to low-wage employees or provide coverage comparable to what's offered in Washington's health care exchange.
But the hotel industry challenged the law, namely the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Seattle Hotel Association and Washington Hospitality Association. They contended that the new law violated state law and the Seattle City Charter requirements that ordinances cover only a "single subject" and claimed that I-124 was too wide-ranging to be contained in a single measure.
https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/Seattle-hotel-workers-take-initative-battle-to-13522129.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletterspi&utm_term=spi
