Q&A
Concerns about subcontractors and protecting hotel workers
0:45:48
·
175 sec
Council Member Gale A. Brewer expresses concern about hotels opposing the legislation and the potential impact on subcontracted workers. She asks how to ensure workers don't lose their jobs while supporting unionization and better working conditions.
- Commissioner Mayuga emphasizes DCWP's mission to protect workers and their intention to avoid unintended consequences.
- DCWP officials stress their commitment to ongoing stakeholder engagement, education, and incorporating industry feedback into the implementation process.
Gale A. Brewer
0:45:48
Number 2, you know, I'm very supportive, but I know that there are hotels that are not.
0:45:54
And actually, I never go to the other barrels.
0:45:57
I know there are other barrels.
0:45:58
I never go there.
0:45:59
But I know that there are hotels there, and they're more challenging and problematic than the ones I know.
0:46:05
I've never been to those hotels.
0:46:07
So my question is, they are complaining.
0:46:09
However, in many cases that they're gonna lose their workers, blah blah blah.
0:46:13
So how do you both I mean, I would like to see everybody be unionized because I think that's what keeps workers middle class and is the right thing to do.
0:46:22
But my question is with these subcontracts, how do we make sure that those workers don't lose their jobs?
0:46:28
And lovely if I could make them part of the union.
0:46:31
But how do how are you thinking about that issue of people not losing their jobs as subcontractors?
0:46:38
I agree with you.
0:46:39
I'd love to have them be employees of the hotel.
0:46:41
You can make sure that they have better benefits.
0:46:44
You can make sure that they're not discriminated against, so on and so forth.
0:46:47
But in any case, I don't know what's gonna happen.
0:46:50
You know, the doomsday is what is predicted by some of these owners, but how do we make sure that the workers are sent front and center of this issue?
Vilda Vera Mayuga
0:47:03
Thank you.
0:47:03
Thank you, Council member, and and obviously for caring so much by the worker.
0:47:08
It is a very core part of our mission as an agency.
0:47:12
What we're looking to do, you know, through other process, the legislative process, and some of the suggestions that we've made in my testimony.
0:47:20
We also obviously wanna hear all of the testimony that will come after hours to make sure that we're very, very mindful.
0:47:27
As to how this ultimately looks so that we don't have these unintended consequences.
0:47:32
We certainly, you know, on the licensing piece where we talked about decades of experience to make sure that a business is not burdened by retake that is just unnecessary.
0:47:43
So we are looking at that and making sure that it is very intentional, how we go about implementing whatever the final bill looks like.
0:47:54
And taken into account all of those concerns that are raised by the industry.
0:47:58
As to workers, very similar.
0:48:01
Right?
0:48:01
We are not there's no way we will try to do something that would negatively impact workers.
0:48:07
We are in constant contact with the various stakeholders.
0:48:10
I know assistant commissioner Carlos Ortiz has had many meetings, different members of my team has had that as well.
Gale A. Brewer
0:48:16
We're a big fan of him just so you
Sahai Comecho
0:48:18
know.
Lynn Schulman
0:48:19
I am
Vilda Vera Mayuga
0:48:19
too.
0:48:21
And and the the conversation will continue.
0:48:23
Even whatever is final, before we get to implementation, we're always about education.
0:48:28
We're always about hearing back.
0:48:29
I'm not gonna, like, pretend that I know what it is to either own a hotel, manage a hotel, work at a hotel, we're gonna wanna hear from those that are actually doing those things so that we can incorporate that into whatever we're putting out there and be very mindful of it.
Gale A. Brewer
0:48:43
Okay.
