PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Brendan Griffith, Chief of Staff of New York City Central Labor Council, on the Safe Hotels Act
1:10:32
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143 sec
Brendan Griffith, representing the New York City Central Labor Council, testifies in strong support of the Safe Hotels Act. He emphasizes the importance of the hotel industry to the city's economy and workers, while highlighting the need for improved safety measures and worker protections.
- Griffith stresses the dangers faced by hotel workers, including high rates of workplace injuries and assaults, and advocates for the implementation of panic buttons.
- He criticizes the practice of subcontracting in hotels, which can lead to reduced legal liability for owners and difficulties for workers seeking redress for mistreatment or wage theft.
- The testimony underscores the broad coalition supporting the bill, including various affiliated unions, and draws comparisons to hotel licensing practices in other major U.S. cities.
Brendan Griffith
1:10:32
Good morning, chairman and members of the committee.
1:10:35
My name is actually Brendan Griffith.
1:10:36
I'm the chief of staff of the New York City Central Labor Council.
1:10:38
Unfortunately, our president Vinny was unable to testify, but I'll be testifying in his place.
1:10:43
The CLC represents over 1,000,000 workers across 300 affiliated unions, and we strongly support the Safe Hotels Act.
1:10:50
The health of the the health of the hotel industry is critical to our city and to the tens of thousands of hotel workers whose livelihoods rely on it.
1:10:58
Each of our organizations has an interest in maintaining and expanding New York City's tourism economy and keeping hotels profitable.
1:11:05
For months, hotel workers and allies have been working to advance this bill.
1:11:09
As 30 years deteriorating workplace safety, increased wage in our violations and complaints from hotel guests, it's time for action.
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There's a diverse coalition in support of this bill, including affiliated unions of the CLC like DC 37, 32 BJ, NYSENA, CWA, and, of course, the Hotel And Gaming Trade Council.
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Hotels are among the most dangerous workplaces in the country.
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Hotel workers are in the top quarter for workplace injuries, likelier than most to be heard on the job, including being assaulted.
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This build would require hotels to equip their workers with panic buttons, technology that's been successfully implemented statewide in Illinois and New Jersey, and is already a feature of unionized hotels in New York City.
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There is no good reason to deny workers this basic protection.
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Hotels have also been abovegrounded bosses ongoing efforts to shed as much legal liability as possible.
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Today, the core work of the hotel is being shifted to subcontractors so that owners bear no legal responsibility when a subcontractor worker is mistreated, injured, or suffers wage theft.
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Some contractors are notoriously hard to pin down when a worker pushes a legal issue.
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This bill ensures that workers who are cheated or abused will be able to have their issues addressed.
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Hotels are already licensed in a number of major US cities.
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There's no reason to reject these basic regulations and worker protections here in New York City.
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It's easy for to to take for granted the rights enjoyed by workers today, like equal pay for equal work.
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The 8 hour workday.
UNKNOWN
1:12:36
Thank you for your testimony.
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Your time's expired.
Brendan Griffith
1:12:40
So as the legislation advances, we'll have a clear picture of who stood with New York City's workers and who stood against them.
1:12:46
And I hope we can all celebrate a safer hotel industry.
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And that's not only safer for workers, but for guests in the border community too.
1:12:53
I appreciate the opportunity to address this committee today.
1:12:55
Thank you.
