The ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency has severely impacted building service, food service and hotel workers. Many have already been separated from their jobs and many more are expected to face separation in the coming months. 

At the Nov. 10 City Council meeting, the City Council approved an emergency ordinance to add worker recall protections for Santa Clara workers. The emergency ordinance addresses and supports these workers with a promise of a return to their previous jobs as the pandemic recedes and business returns.

• The emergency ordinance will protect workers in building service, food service and hotel service who work at a location within the city of Santa Clara limits for an employer for six months or more.
• The ordinance covers full or part time employees (8 hours a week or more) and does not apply to managerial, supervisory or confidential positions.
• If a worker meets the criteria and was recently separated on or after March 17, 2020, as a result of a lack of business, a reduction in work force or other economic, non-disciplinary reasons, the emergency ordinance requires the employers to offer work to these laid off workers, once a position becomes available. 

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Worker Retention Ordinance

Worker Retention ordinances protect workers from job loss due to a sale, merger, foreclosure or other transfer of their employer. The City currently has a Worker Retention Ordinance and has permanently revised it to add hotel workers as a covered employee group. 

The proposed revision would apply to hotels with 50 or more guestrooms and would apply to full time or part time hotel workers (8 hours a week or more) who are employed with a hotel, employed directly by the incumbent hotel employer, or by a person who has contracted with the incumbent hotel employer to provide services at the hotel, and who has worked for the incumbent hotel employer for at least 90 days prior to the execution of the transfer document.

Before this proposed revision is adopted by City Council, the City is gathering feedback and input. 

Information Sessions on Worker Recall and Retention

The City hosted public information sessions on the recently approved worker recall ordinance and to provide input on the worker retention ordinance on November 16 and November 17. View and download the meeting flyer.

View the video of the information session on November 17, 2020: