BOSTON – Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is filing a resolution at this week’s Council meeting to support Marriott Copley Place Hotel workers, many of whom are being laid off with little severance after decades of service. Moreover, Councilor Flynn is calling for statewide “Right to Recall” legislation that would allow for workers to be recalled to their job within a two year period of being laid off. This is the second resolution that Councilor Flynn has filed in support of hotel workers being laid off, the first one being in June after the Four Seasons laid off a large number of its employees. 

Last week, it was reported that Marriott Copley Place Hotel would permanently lay off more than 230 employees, offering little severance for decades of service in some instances. Marriott Copley Place is the second largest hotel in Boston, and the hospitality industry is the third largest in the city, which employs tens of thousands of local residents. These hospitality jobs provide good pay, benefits, and a path to the middle class for many Black and Brown Boston hotel workers, including immigrants and women. These jobs have allowed many residents to achieve first generational wealth, buy a home, raise a family, and stay in the city. The Marriott Copley Place layoffs came after the Four Seasons Hotel layoffs back in May. These hotel layoffs are likely to happen again in the months to come and, without government intervention, COVID-19 could potentially be used as a reason for employers to enact a massive campaign of dislocation of black and brown residents from their jobs. 

In the fight for racial justice, there must be a pathway for secure jobs and wealth creation for our communities of color. This resolution offers support for the Marriott Copley Hotel workers in their demand for a better severance package, as well as calling for a statewide “Right to Recall” legislation that would allow employees to be recalled to their jobs within two years of being laid off when new positions are available. 

“In the middle of both a public health and economic crisis that has disproportionately impacted communities of color, it is unconscionable to me that a large corporation like Marriott Hotels, who reported $100 million in profits for the third quarter, would offer little severance to its workers; many of whom are black, brown, immigrants and women with decades of service to the company,” said Councilor Flynn. “Our hotel workers are a critical part of our city’s economic engine, and I’m proud to stand with them. It is critical that we also continue to advocate for a’ Right to Recall’  for our workers, so that we ensure these good hospitality jobs continue to provide a path to the middle class, as well as an opportunity for wealth building and prosperity for our residents and families.” 

For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 and  [email protected].