Cambridge sweeps away outsourcing of hotel housekeepers - Boston Herald
The Cambridge License Commission has approved a controversial first-in-the-nation regulation prohibiting hotels from contracting out their housekeeping work.
"Getting a license is a privilege, and as a city councilor I want to know that when we issue a license the highest standards of public health are being met," said Marjorie Decker, the councilor who championed the rule. "If something happens, we don't want to go to an out-of-state company for answers."
The new measure takes direct aim at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge. In 2009, the Cambridge hotel and two other local Hyatts laid off 98 housekeeping workers. The decision caused union and elected officials to cry foul, in part because the housekeepers trained their replacements.
"This was never an issue until the Hyatt did what they did," Decker said. "It was an aberration of best practices."
In a statement, Stacey Nichols, general manager of Hyatt Regency Cambridge, said, "Local businesses and hotel organizations have voiced strong opposition to the Cambridge City Council's proposed policy order. This policy order seems to be an arbitrary restriction on a universally accepted management practice. It has the potential to damage important employers and sources of public revenue in the City of Cambridge."
David Rubin, a labor attorney with Nutter McClennen & Fish, questioned whether the ordinance could withstand a legal challenge. When companies contract out workers, they are not absolved of responsibility, he said.
"This regulation could definitely be challenged from a number of fronts," he said.
30 Sep, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGvUVb3oZtobVSgXvag4qXlbw-eFg&url=http://bostonherald.com/business/general/view/2011_0930cambridge_sweepsaway_outsourcing_ofhotel_housekeepers
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