(Strauss-Kahn denied the allegations and reached a settlement with the housekeeper in 2012.) Since 2013, New York City housekeepers in all unionized hotels - hundreds of properties across the city - have been equipped with panic buttons that summon help. Unite Here, the hotel workers union, made the devices an issue after a housekeeper accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then the head of the International Monetary Fund, of sexual assault. In addition to federal law that bars sexual harassment, state and local laws may apply-and may result in much bigger awards for successful plaintiffs. “The employer is responsible for having a harassment-free workplace, even if the harassment is coming from a customer or client,” said EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum. And management’s responsibility is likely to be an issue in collective bargaining next year, when contracts covering roughly half the unionized hotel workers across the country are up for re-negotiation. Workers’ advocates have been pushing hotels to equip housekeepers with “panic buttons” to protect them from guests. A California court in October ruled that a hotel worker could sue her employer under state law after she was allegedly raped by a trespasser on the property. Hotels are under new scrutiny when it comes to keeping their employees safe at work, even when the threat don’t come from other workers. Read more: a QuickTake on understanding the issue “They feel they have a right to the lady who cleans the room.” She says a former employer took more than 20 minutes to respond after she alerted them that a man exposed himself to her in a hallway. “We don’t know if the predators are there,” said Juana Melara, a room attendant in Long Beach, Calif.
HOTEL PANIC BUTTON SERIES
When the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission studied the factors that foster sexual harassment, it identified a series of conditions that define hotel housekeeping: language differences, “significant power disparities” between employees and management, reliance on customer satisfaction, physical isolation, alcohol consumption. Hotel housekeepers are particularly vulnerable. Stories like Dar’s are newly resonant as a wide swath of industries are confronting the powerful men who harass and abuse women at work. The cases getting most attention so far have described abuses suffered by educated professionals the experiences of low-wage, service industry workers haven’t triggered the same outcry. “If we receive an allegation of inappropriate conduct, we take it very seriously and take appropriate responsive action,” he said. It remains to be seen where the line will be drawn.Įarlier this year, six current or former female employees filed a lawsuit against New York's Plaza Hotel, accusing the property's ownership and management of abetting incessant sexual harassment.Ī troubling report from nonprofit organization Polaris also found that "victims of labor trafficking have been found in hospitality businesses such as hotels, motels, resorts, or casinos working as front desk attendants, bell staff, and, most frequently, in housekeeping.Jeff Flaherty, the senior director of global communications for Westin parent company Marriott International, declined to comment on Dar’s experiences, but said the company has zero tolerance for harassment. The challenge for the hotel industry is ensuring a safe environment without violating guests' rights.
"Forcing hotels to just keep a running list of guests who are accused of harassment is not something that we want to be involved in." "You might have just gotten out of the shower and the room attendant walks into the room- there could be endless scenarios," AHLA vice president for government affairs, Brian Crawford told Bloomberg. Nonetheless, the AHLA is opposed to the Seattle law requiring hotels to log complaints made against guests. "Safety and security-whether for our employees or guests-is top priority," said the group's vice president for communications, Rosanna Maietta.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association is onboard with the Chicago vote.
"The employer is responsible for having a harassment-free workplace, even if the harassment is coming from a customer or client," Equal Employment Opportunity Commission commissioner, Chai Feldblum told the publication. How Hotel Workers Protect Themselves | TravelPulseīloomberg outlined a series of disturbing personal accounts involving guest misconduct, including those of a 17-year housekeeping veteran who admits she doesn't "trust any of the guests."
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