July 14, 2011 (Press-News.org) In the wake of the sexual assault allegations against International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, New York legislators are contemplating new proposals that would offer further protections to hotel maids. In May, Strauss-Kahn was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault stemming from an encounter with a hotel maid at the Sofitel Hotel near Times Square.
On May 23rd, Assemblyman Rory Lancman introduced the Hotel Worker Protection Act, which would add a new provision to Section 202 of the Labor Code. Essentially, the bill would allow hotel employees (specifically hotel maids) to carry panic buttons to quickly alert hotel security in case of an emergency.
Lancman chairs the Assembly subcommittee on workplace safety. In speaking to Reuters after introducing the bill, he explained that attacks on hotel maids and housekeepers were relatively common, even though he did not have statistical data to support his position. According to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics, 100 hotel maids were assaulted in 2009. However, many more assaults may go unreported since victims may be ambivalent about reporting such incidents out of fear of reprisal. Nevertheless, the bill has garnered support after the Strauss-Kahn indictment. Peter Ward, president of the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council, supported the bill. He believes that the proposal would ensure that thousands of hotel workers would not be put at risk.
Lancman also introduced the Housekeeper Injury Prevention Act, which would require hotels to use fitted sheets instead of flat sheets, so that housekeepers would not have to constantly lift heavy mattresses when changing bed linens. He estimates that housekeepers lift 50 pound mattresses 15 to 20 times per day. The cumulative effects of such lifting could lead to debilitating injuries and warrant such a protection.
Sofitel is also taking steps to ensure workplace safety. It recently allowed chambermaids to wear trousers instead of traditional dresses after workers complained about its uniform.
While Sofitel's compromise is a good public relations story, it is more likely a calculated step taken to avoid a future negligent security claim. Under the theory of premises liability, a property owner can be held liable for failing reasonable steps to protect employees or patrons from criminal acts on company property. As such, employers have a duty to protect employees from criminal acts that could be committed in the course of doing their jobs. Statistical data regarding the frequency of sexual assault on hotel maids is not easily found. But given that a large majority of hospitality workers are women, it is likely that those working in high end establishments may encounter abuse. As such, sexual assault (especially in a hotel setting) is a reasonably foreseeable act that can be prevented.
Many high-end hotels, including Marriott, Four Seasons, Loews and Ritz-Carlton are reviewing their security protocols in light of the Strauss-Kahn incident.
Aside from the specter of sexual assault, housekeepers face a daunting workload that appears to be increasing. According to the advocacy group Hotel Workers Rising, housekeepers are facing increasing injuries due to the pressure to clean more rooms in less time. Hotel maids are suffering sprains and strains a nearly double the rate of non-housekeepers. Back, knee and wrist injuries are the most common ailments that befall hotel workers.
This is likely because each room now has more items to lift and clean. With more luxury rooms, maids must lift heavier mattresses, lay more sheets, stuff duvet pillows and clean additional items (such as large mirrors and coffee pots) without additional time to properly complete these tasks. Maids must also strain to clean showers and push heavier linen carts. With business travel increasing, housekeepers are under more pressure to ensure a quality hotel experience, even though staffing levels are not increasing with demand. The Hotel Workers Rising report also indicated that injured workers are returning sooner than they should.
It remains to be seen whether Assemblyman Lancman's safety bills will actually improve workplace conditions for hotel maids. They must also pass through the state senate before reaching the governor's office. In the meantime, enforcement of wage and hour laws would offer more immediate protections, as hotel workers are likely pressured to work through break periods (and off the clock) to maintain room cleaning schedules.
If you have questions about your rights in the workplace, an experienced attorney can advise you.
Article provided by Subin Associates PC
Visit us at www.subinlaw.com/
Legislators Contemplate Bills Protecting Hotel Maids
In the wake of the sexual assault allegations against International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, New York legislators are contemplating new proposals that would offer further protections to hotel maids.
2011-07-14
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Pitt, Wake Forest team finds why stored transfusion blood may become less safe with age
2011-07-14
PITTSBURGH, July 13 – Transfused blood may need to be stored in a different way to prevent the breakdown of red blood cells that can lead to complications including infection, organ failure and death, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Wake Forest University. This week in the early online version of Circulation, the team reports the latest findings from its ongoing exploration of the interaction between red blood cell breakdown products and nitric oxide (NO), revealing new biological mechanisms that can reduce blood flow and possibly ...
With Resources, Children with Cerebral Palsy Can Succeed
2011-07-14
Maybe you've had concerns for your child's well-being since the day of his or her birth because your labor was mismanaged, delivery was delayed, too much Pitocin was used or your baby was in fetal distress.
Maybe you suspected there was a problem when you noticed your infant didn't reach for you with two hands or seemed excessively stiff or floppy. He or she just didn't move like other babies.
Even if you thought there might be problems, an actual diagnosis of cerebral palsy is still devastating. It's a diagnosis that thousands of parents hear every year, as almost ...
Study explores best motivating factors for pursuing a shared goal such as giving
2011-07-14
People who see the "glass as half empty" may be more willing to contribute to a common goal if they already identify with it, according to researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, University of Chicago and Sungkyunkwan University.
According to the studies, individuals who already care a lot (highly identify) with a cause are more likely to financially support the cause if a solicitation is framed by how much is still needed (for example, "we still need $50,000 to reach our goal"). However, if individuals care very little prior to a solicitation (low identify), ...
Research provides insight into new drug resistance in hospital microbes
2011-07-14
Boston (July 13, 2011) – Hospitals struggle to prevent the infections that complicate treatment for cancer, joint replacement, heart surgery and other conditions. Hospital-acquired infections are often resistant to multiple antibiotics, leading to approximately 100,000 deaths and more than $30 billion in additional health care costs yearly. New drugs are being developed to combat these infections, but resistance invariably emerges to these last-line drugs.
Daptomycin, a new antibiotic approved by the FDA in 2003, is used to treat infections caused by multi-drug resistant ...
Student Loans May Be Reclassified As Dischargeable in Bankruptcy
2011-07-14
With the nation's economy struggling, and unemployment still at historic levels, it is no surprise that many former students are struggling with repaying their loans. Last year, the United States Student Association estimated that borrowers held $730 billion in student loan debt, with 60 percent ($440 billion) in deferment or default. With student loan debt outpacing revolving credit card debt, bankruptcy is becoming a consideration for more struggling with crippling student loan debt, even though current law does not allow discharge of such debt, except under limited circumstances.
There ...
ONR-funded researchers examine new approaches for aircraft operations aboard carriers
2011-07-14
ARLINGTON, Va.--An Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored effort to examine how aircraft carrier flight deck crews will manage manned and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) completed a successful live demonstration, ONR announced July 13.
The Deck operations Course of Action Planner (DCAP) demonstration was performed at the Humans and Automation Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
DCAP is a software tool designed to aid in planning on aircraft carrier flight decks--a congested and often times chaotic environment that not only includes a variety ...
Family-Focused Divorces: How to Prepare Children for an Imminent Divorce
2011-07-14
Divorcing couples must not only ready themselves for the struggles that lie ahead, but they also need to prepare their children for how to deal with an imminent dissolution. In order to do this, the focus needs to be on cooperation and co-parenting for the good of the children.
Children of divorcing parents are probably dealing with a variety of emotions as they figure out how things are changing. When approaching the subject of divorce with kids, especially younger ones, keep the language and topics simple. Focus on addressing how the divorce will change concrete things ...
Notre Dame research reveals brain network connections
2011-07-14
Research conducted by Maria Ercsey-Ravasz and Zoltan Toroczkai of the University of Notre Dame's Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications (iCeNSA), along with the Department of Physics and a group of neuroanatomists in France, has revealed previously unknown information about the primate brain.
The researchers published an article in the journal Cerebral Cortex showing that the brain is characterized by a highly consistent, weighted network among the functional areas of the cortex, which are responsible for such functions as vision, hearing, touch, ...
Twin ARTEMIS probes to study moon in 3-D
2011-07-14
On Sunday, July 17, the moon will acquire its second new companion in less than a month. That's when the second of two probes built by the University of California, Berkeley, and part of NASA's five-satellite THEMIS mission will drop into a permanent lunar orbit after a meandering, two-year journey from its original orbit around Earth.
The first of the two probes settled into a stable orbit around the moon's equator on June 27. If all goes well, the second probe will assume a similar lunar orbit, though in the opposite direction, sometime Sunday afternoon. The two spacecraft ...
Virginia Graeme Baker and the Hidden Dangers of Swimming Pools
2011-07-14
Many kids across the United States will spend their summer days swimming and having fun in neighborhood pools. However, it is important to remember that pools pose many dangers to young swimmers.
Pool Safely Campaign
The summer of 2011 marks the second year for the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) "Pool Safely: Simple Steps Save Lives" campaign. The campaign is a public education and awareness campaign aimed at reducing the number of drownings and non-fatal submersion and entrapment accidents involving children. The campaign provides simple safety ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Post-LLM era: New horizons for AI with knowledge, collaboration, and co-evolution
“Sloshing” from celestial collisions solves mystery of how galactic clusters stay hot
Children poisoned by the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, has risen in the U.S. – eight years of national data shows
USC researchers observe mice may have a form of first aid
VUMC to develop AI technology for therapeutic antibody discovery
Unlocking the hidden proteome: The role of coding circular RNA in cancer
Advancing lung cancer treatment: Understanding the differences between LUAD and LUSC
Study reveals widening heart disease disparities in the US
The role of ubiquitination in cancer stem cell regulation
New insights into LSD1: a key regulator in disease pathogenesis
Vanderbilt lung transplant establishes new record
Revolutionizing cancer treatment: targeting EZH2 for a new era of precision medicine
Metasurface technology offers a compact way to generate multiphoton entanglement
Effort seeks to increase cancer-gene testing in primary care
Acoustofluidics-based method facilitates intracellular nanoparticle delivery
Sulfur bacteria team up to break down organic substances in the seabed
Stretching spider silk makes it stronger
Earth's orbital rhythms link timing of giant eruptions and climate change
Ammonia build-up kills liver cells but can be prevented using existing drug
New technical guidelines pave the way for widespread adoption of methane-reducing feed additives in dairy and livestock
Eradivir announces Phase 2 human challenge study of EV25 in healthy adults infected with influenza
New study finds that tooth size in Otaria byronia reflects historical shifts in population abundance
nTIDE March 2025 Jobs Report: Employment rate for people with disabilities holds steady at new plateau, despite February dip
Breakthrough cardiac regeneration research offers hope for the treatment of ischemic heart failure
Fluoride in drinking water is associated with impaired childhood cognition
New composite structure boosts polypropylene’s low-temperature toughness
While most Americans strongly support civics education in schools, partisan divide on DEI policies and free speech on college campuses remains
Revolutionizing surface science: Visualization of local dielectric properties of surfaces
LearningEMS: A new framework for electric vehicle energy management
Nearly half of popular tropical plant group related to birds-of-paradise and bananas are threatened with extinction
[Press-News.org] Legislators Contemplate Bills Protecting Hotel MaidsIn the wake of the sexual assault allegations against International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, New York legislators are contemplating new proposals that would offer further protections to hotel maids.