Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Signs Legislation to Require Severance pay for Hotel Service Employees

October 5, 2021

Mayor Bill de Blasio: It's good to have these righteous, powerful, focused – justice-focused people here today in City Hall. I want to thank every one of you for being here and fighting for justice for working people in New York City. 

[Cheers] 

So, everyone, Hotel Trades Council has focused for generations on making sure working people could actually afford to live in New York City, could actually have enough money to raise a family, that work was actually rewarded in a society that still too often asks everything of working people and gives them very little in return. The Hotel Trades Council has been an exemplar to everyone, to the whole labor movement, actually making sure that working people got the wages and benefits they deserve. That's what you've all achieved together. You've shown it's possible.  

[Applause] 

And it is never easy to secure the rights of working people. There's always a lot pushing back against you. All you're asking for is fairness, because you work hard, right? You work hard day-in and day-out. 

[Applause] 

And I have met so many members of the Hotel Trades Counselors, so many members who started, and worked their way up and work their way up, and are living that American dream because of the sweat of their brow. It was never easy. It was never easy – very long hours. But this is a union that shows us the way it's supposed to be done. And you know how to organize working people to defend their rights. So, yes, this pandemic hurt everyone, but few people took it on the chin more than the members of the Hotel Trades Council, because your livelihood was gone – it was gone and we knew it wasn't coming back right away. You had built up a lifetime of experience, service, doing things the right way. And then, almost in the blink of an eye, your whole industry was suddenly shut down. And I know that must've hurt. That must have been frightening. That must have been confusing. There must have been a lot of conversations around the kitchen table. How are we possibly going to make ends meet? I know you had the support of a great union every step of the way, but still, how long was this going to go on? Will we ever get our jobs back? That's what people felt, I heard it. And Rich Maroko, you and I spoke throughout. And you told me just how tough it was for your members. You told me the doubt and the fear that people were living with. But you kept fighting every step of the way, looking for what could be done even in the midst of the greatest crisis we've ever faced. I want to thank you for standing firm. You always believed that we could find a way to help working people. Thank you, Rich, for always finding a way. 

[Cheers] 

And I also want to say, when elected officials hear the voices of people and see the pain of the people and find a way to do something about it that matters, Council Member Francisco Moya heard the call, sponsored this legislation. 

[Cheers] 

And let's remember – let's remember, as we speak, to anyone out there who says, oh, look at all the money, the federal support – I'm glad there was federal support, let me be clear. Thank God for the stimulus. Thank God there was help for working people. But I want to remind everyone, those unemployment benefits have run out now. I want to remind everyone, it was bad enough when people didn't have their jobs, but at least they had the unemployment benefits. They're gone now. They're gone now and that makes an insecure situation even worse. That's why this bill is so important, to make people whole, people who helped make New York City great.  

You know, I understand anyone who says we need our tourism back, we need our hotels back. We all agree and we're working overtime. We're spending a lot of money to get the tourists to come back. We're doing a lot to get the city in a state of recovery. But remember who made us great to begin with? Remember why all those tourists came, why all those hotels were so coveted, because these working people made them great. 

[Cheers] 

So, yes, we're bringing the tourists back. We're bringing the economy back. Let's not forget the people who did the work. Let's not forget the people who built that foundation. And to all the naysayers out there, I just have to say this – a few years ago, we hit a stunning number, 67 million tourists. No one ever imagined a number like that in a single year. And I guarantee you, they are coming back. We're already seeing domestic tourism coming back strong, international tourism is being opened up. And there's a lot of pent-up demand all over the world and guess where they want to go? They want to come to New York City and they need you to be there for them. 

[Applause] 

Now, if anyone says, okay, how do we know this legislation is going to help everyone? Well, I’ve got an example for you right now, because we've just heard that the Hilton, one of the biggest hotels in the city, is reopening and bringing back 300 jobs. And that's what we need. 

[Cheers] 

So, we know this legislation helped to make that happen and that's exactly why we need legislation like this, to move things forward, get people's jobs back. A lot of people worked on this. In addition to Council Member Moya, and your president, Rich Maroko, but I want to thank also our Corporation Council Georgia Pestana. I want to thank Speaker Cory Johnson, of course, for all he did. And in a moment, we're going to sign this bill and we’re going to say that in New York City working people come first. Working people come first. 

[Applause] 

But before we do, as I like to do, we're going to just say a few words in Spanish.  

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish] 

[Cheers] 

Alright, that might be the answer to my next question. Are we ready to sign this legislation? 

[Cheers] 

[Mayor de Blasio signs Intro. 2397-A] 

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