Category Archives: Uncategorized

Keeping Your Employees Safe and Productive

Retaining talent is a universal business concern. It is especially important in the leisure and hospitality industry, which has the highest workforce turnover rate among private sector industries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.(1)

When employees become injured or seriously ill as a result of their job it can affect temporary or long-term staffing in the workplace. For reference, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that the hospitality and leisure industry experienced over 90,000 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work in 2013 – fully ten percent of all recorded private industry incidents that year.(2)

When employees get injured on the job, not only are they unable to perform their duties, but business operations and employee morale can also be negatively impacted.

Work Injury reporting

An important step hotel managers can take to prevent and control work-related injuries or illnesses is to create a culture of safety in the workplace. This goes beyond taking precautions to prevent injuries from occurring, but also knowing how to respond quickly and appropriately in the event someone gets injured or becomes ill. It involves ensuring that employees receive the appropriate care they need to get well and also having plans in place to facilitate the employee’s transition back to work.

More on the article: http://bit.ly/2jAZqLt

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Filed under Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Human Resources, Uncategorized, Workers' Compensation

How Overtime Rule Will Affect Hospitality

It might only be June, but hoteliers are already preparing for how the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) recently announced overtime rule will impact their properties when it takes effect Dec. 1. The rule, introduced on May 18 by the Obama administration, will broaden the number of workers eligible for overtime pay by raising the salary threshold for exempt workers to $47,476 from $23,660 per year.
Ryan Glasgow, Hunton & Williams labor and employment lawyer, has been advising employers in preparation for the final DOL rule, which will likely set the salary requirement for the professional, executive, and administrative exemptions at 40 percent of the national average for all non-hourly compensation in all industries.

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“The DOL’s intention in increasing the salary was to increase the opportunities and increase the compensation pay to a lot of workers,” Glasgow says. “About 4 million workers are either going to be entitled to overtime or now receive an increase salary as a result of the change.”

Since hotels employ a large number of workers who fit the bill, many properties will go through an adjustment period as they restructure based on employees’ current wages.

“In the hospitality area, it’s the frontline, entry-level managers who will mostly be affected,” Glasgow says. “They have been, thus far, exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) executive exemptions. The problem is a lot of those frontline managers are currently making somewhere between $23,000 and $47,476. The hospitality industry is going to take a look at each one of those employees and decide if they’re going to increase that salary to the $47,476 level, or reclassify this person as non-exempt.”

For more info: http://bit.ly/29g9YeN

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Filed under Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Uncategorized

Hospitality Alert – Proposition 65 Warning

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All California businesses with 10 or more employees – including lodging establishments – are covered by Proposition 65, and they therefore have to post special “warning” notices in specific locations. There is a new Proposition 65 “warning notice” required for Bisphenol A (BPA) that takes effect May 11, 2016, and it will affect a number of lodging establishments.

The new warning – which was issued by the Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), applies to canned and bottled foods and beverages that are offered for retail sale (i.e., “foods and beverages packaged in hermetically sealed, durable metal or glass containers; including, but not limited to those containing fruits, vegetables, soups, pasta products, milk, soda, and alcoholic beverages”).

The obligation to provide BPA warnings falls primarily on manufacturers, producers, packagers, importers or distributors of canned and bottled foods and beverages. However, if a “retailer” or its authorized agent receives a specified written notice from a manufacturer, either “directly or through a trade association,” the retailer must then provide the BPA warning at every “point of sale.” (“Point-of-sale” means the area within a retail facility where customers pay for foods and beverages, such as the cash register or check-out line where the warning sign is likely to be seen and understood prior to the consumer purchasing the canned or bottled food or beverage. Point-of-sale also includes electronic check-out functions on Internet websites. OEHHA has advised CH&LA that “point-of-sale” includes vending machines.).

Hotels that sell or provide canned and bottled foods and beverages (e.g., a sundry shop or food sale area, or in connection with conventions or business meetings) will be required to post the warning.

(Note: manufacturers and others in the chain of distribution must “provide, or offer to provide, to the retail seller, at no cost, a sufficient number of the required point-of-sale warning signs ….” If you receive such a notice, ask your distributors to provide you with the warning signs.)

The specific BPA warning must:

Contain the word “WARNING” in all capital letters and bold print, and the words: “Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to the State of California to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information go to: www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/BPA.”

The warning sign should be no smaller than 5 x 5 inches. The BPA warning must be “displayed with such conspicuousness, as compared with other words, statements, designs, or devices at the point-of-sale, as to render it likely to be read and understood by an ordinary individual prior to purchase of the affected products.”

Important Note: Prop. 65 already has a different, non-BPA, warning requirement for hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that sell foods and non-alcoholic beverages (WARNING: Chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, or birth defects or other reproductive harm may be present in foods or beverages sold or served here.) In the context of hotels, this general warning for foods and non-alcoholic beverages needs to be provided in all dining rooms and areas, and also in room service menus and in other appropriate places.

Members should bear in mind that CH&LA is not a law firm, and this alert is not intended as legal advice. Lodging operators with questions should consult with legal counsel. Members are also free to contact our Member Legal Advisor, Jim Abrams (jim@calodging.com).


 

CH&LA has explanatory materials on the Prop. 65 signage requirements. CH&LA and CABBI members can access these materials in the “members” section of www.calodging.com. Non-members should contact Sandra Oberle (Sandra@calodging.com) for this information.

Petra CHLA_proud sponsor


 

 

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Filed under Food Illnesses, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Risk Management, Training, Uncategorized

Preventing and Preparing for Terrorist Attacks

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The current hostage situation at a Radisson Blu in Mali dredges up memories of the Mumbai, India terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, which targeted a number of buildings, including the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel and the Oberoi Trident Hotel. At the time, LODGING reported on how to prevent and prepare for such attacks with advice from Kyle Olson of the security consulting firm the Olson Group. In light of recent events, here are a few tips he shared that are still relevant today.

1. BECOME A TOUGHER TARGET

Routinely change up security patterns and practices, and make the fact that you do so apparent; this will create uncertainty in potential attackers, and encourage them to look for a more “reliable” victim. Remove information from your web sites that isn’t essential, but which makes you vulnerable. Instead of detailed floor plans, use generalized, simplified drawings that don’t provide information on exits and serviceways; make intelligence collection harder. Move furniture and display fixtures in public areas around, change things up outside the hotel and inside, so that it is more difficult for an attacker to choreograph movements. Train personnel—security and staff—to recognize the difference between someone killing time and timing a kill. And teach them what to do when they think they have identified a potential bad actor.

2. DEVELOP A CRISIS PLAN

Objectively assess the hotel’s vulnerabilities, and routinely review that assessment, particularly in light of special/large events. “Red Team” how someone could attack and consider how to counter. Where do you shelter people? Is the staff trained to get people to safety/exits? Is the critical information that will be needed by public safety—guest registers, employee rosters, floor plans—readily at hand?

3. SYNCHRONIZE PLANS

The hotel’s plan must also reflect the plans, procedures and, above all, the needs of the local response agencies. Are hotel security and management personnel trained in the terminology of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)? NIMS is the language the cops, firefighters, and Feds will be speaking in a crisis. Remember, if the management team in the hotel is not able to plug into the response by public safety agencies with both information and understanding of the procedures being used, they will be marginalized. If hotel leadership is not seen as part of the solution, they will be considered part of the problem. If they are not able to engage constructively, they will have no influence in shaping the outcome of their property. If, on the other hand, they are seen as bringing value, their counsel will be sought out and they will have a hand in managing events.

4. TRAIN AND EXERCISE

Hotel personnel need to practice what their actions would be in a serious incident. This means knowing the plan, understanding their roles, and testing that understanding in exercises. These do not need to be complex, but they do need to be serious opportunities to evaluate the readiness of the hotel’s team. Ideally, the hotel should invite local public safety personnel into the exercises, to play out their roles. Not only will this provide hotel personnel with a sense of what will be expected of them, but it will provide an opportunity for the hotel personnel to demonstrate that they take the challenge seriously and that they have something to offer.

For more: http://bit.ly/1MH0jFN

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Filed under Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training, Uncategorized

Hospitality Industry Employee Update: “L.A. May Hike Minimum Wage for Hotel Workers to Highest in U.S.”

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“Hotel owners and their representatives say a $15 minimum would trigger higher room rates and worker layoffs, as managements struggle to keep costs under control. The owners argue it’s unfair to take a piecemeal approach to pay rules — singling out a few industries or geographic areas.”

Labor leaders hope a proposal that would dramatically raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles for workers at large hotels to roughly $15 an hour will be a step toward pay hikes for other industries.

Members of the City Council expected to propose that large hotels pay their workers $15.37 an hour – more than double the national minimum of $7.25 an hour and push far above California’s rate of $8.

Union leaders want the increase to apply at hotels with 100 rooms or more, saying such a hike would lift housekeepers, busboys and maintenance workers out of poverty and inject much-needed cash into a  languorous local economy.

For more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-la-minimum-wage-hike-hotel-workers-20140114,0,2611025.story#axzz2qOCybJiD

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Filed under Employee Benefits, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Uncategorized

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: “Kari’s Law: Murder Victim’s Family Campaigns To Change Hotel Policy”

“When we do this we want to do it right so people can feel comfortable when they have to dial 911 and they get an emergency dispatcher,” ImageGohmert told local TV station KETK. “Even adults when they’re witnessing something terribly traumatic will not be thinking about ‘what do I dial to get an outside line?’ They’d be running and dialing 911.”

“We are attempting to ensure that any person needing police, EMS or the Fire Department at any hotel or motel location may be able to dial the numbers 911 and receive emergency response,”

It was Dec. 1, 2013, and Kari Rene Hunt lie on the brink of death in a hotel room in East Texas. The eldest of her three children, a 9-year-old daughter, attempted to call 911 for help, but because she had no idea that she would have to dial 9 first to get an outside line, the call never went through and her mother succumbed to her wounds. Now, Hunt’s father Hank is out to ensure that hotels across the nation do away with systems that require dialing anything before 911 to make certain that the same scenario doesn’t happen again.

“We are attempting to ensure that any person needing police, EMS or the Fire Department at any hotel or motel location may be able to dial the numbers 911 and receive emergency response,” Hank said in a petition on Change.org. “In a panic, any underage child — or for that matter, anyone in an emergency situation — should be able to depend on dialing 911 from any phone in the United States and receiving assistance.”

For more: http://www.ibtimes.com/karis-law-murder-victims-family-campaigns-change-hotel-policy-1536166

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Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Uncategorized

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: “Costa Mesa to Slap Hotels With Fines For Too Many Police Calls”

“…Under the ordinance approved Tuesday, motels and hotels could incur fines of hundreds of dollars if they generate above an average 0.4 calls per room per month for recurring “nuisance activities.” Those activities were defined as including persistent noise, gang-related crime,Image illegal use of a firearm, disturbing the peace, illegal use or sale of fireworks, drug possession or sale, underage drinking and loud parties. Violent felonies are also covered…”

Costa Mesa hotels will have to pay a fine if they attract an “excessive” amount of police attention under a new law aimed at properties run by what one City Council member referred to as “slumlords.”

Under the ordinance approved Tuesday, motels and hotels could incur fines of hundreds of dollars if they generate above an average 0.4 calls per room per month for recurring “nuisance activities.” Those activities were defined as including persistent noise, gang-related crime, illegal use of a firearm, disturbing the peace, illegal use or sale of fireworks, drug possession or sale, underage drinking and loud parties. Violent felonies are also covered.

Reporting domestic violence and summoning fire or ambulance services, however, are not considered nuisance activities under the ordinance, the Daily Pilot reported.

For more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-costa-mesa-hotels-fines-police-calls-20140109,0,1005916.story#axzz2q0jOZxiH

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Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Uncategorized

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: California Restaurant Franchisee Settles EEOC “Disability Discrimination Lawsuit” For $100,000; Former Floor Supervisor With “Intellectual Disability” Demoted To Janitorial Position

“…The EEOC contends that once Alia took over,  Alia management demoted Morgan to a janitorial position, cut his hours and reduced  his hourly EEOCwages, thereby forcing him to find other employment and resign by  June 2009.   The EEOC’s lawsuit argued  that Alia Corporation thus engaged in disability discrimination that violated  the Americans with Disabilities Act  (ADA)…”

Alia Corporation, a franchisee  with over 20 fast-food chain restaurants throughout Central California, agreed  to pay $100,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S.  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced  today.

The EEOC originally filed suit against the Merced,  Calif.-based company in 2011 on behalf of Derrick Morgan, a former floor  supervisor with an intellectual disability (EEOC v. Alia Corporation, Case  No. 1:11-cv-01549-LJO-BAM, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of  California).  Morgan was known to be a good employee and  promoted by previous management from crew member to super­visor in 2008.

As  part of the settlement announced today, the parties entered into a three-year  consent decree requiring Alia to hire an equal employment opportunity (EEO) monitor  to create anti-discrimination policies and procedures; a complaint process and  impartial investigations; a centralized tracking system for discrimination  complaints; a system to hold employees accountable for discrimination; and,  annual live disability discrimination training for all management and human  resources employees.  The $100,000 in  monetary relief shall be paid entirely to Morgan.  The EEOC will monitor compliance with the agreement.

“Employers cannot allow biases and stereotypes to factor  into employment decisions,” said Anna Y. Park, regional attorney for the EEOC’s  Los Angeles District Office, which includes Fresno in its jurisdiction.  “The EEOC commends Alia Corporation for  today’s settlement, as it marks a new path for Alia — one which includes equal  employment opportunity for all of their employees, regardless of disabilities.”

Melissa  Barrios, director of the EEOC’s Fresno Local Office, said, “Disability discrimination  charges are on the rise in California, comprising 30% of all charges  filed.  Workers who are unjustly  penalized due to their disabilities have protections under federal law, and the  EEOC is here to help.”

For more:  http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/4-18-13.cfm

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Filed under Employment Practices Liability, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Training, Uncategorized

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Restaurant “Natural Gas Fire” Caused By Faulty Water Heater; Damage Estimated At $15,000

“…When firefighters got to the scene, the cook there told them that he heard the hot water heater pop and Restaurant Firethat’s when they saw the fire… Crews immediately evacuated the restaurant and the surrounding businesses, but they also had to cut the gas off before they could put out the fire, which was located in the restaurant’s mechanical room…”

Fire officials said a hot water heater is to blame for a natural gas fire at a Chinese restaurant on the city’s northwest side. The fire broke out at about 4:18 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Hunan Chinese Restaurant.

Fire officials said this natural gas fire caused about $15,000 worth of damage.

Nobody was hurt in the fire and the surrounding businesses opened back up later that Sunday.

For more:  http://www.ksat.com/news/Officials-Water-heater-causes-fire-at-Chinese-restaurant/-/478452/18116632/-/dt62eg/-/index.html

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Filed under Fire, Insurance, Maintenance, Risk Management, Uncategorized

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Wisconsin Restaurant Employee Arrested For "Cashing Two Unauthorized Businsess Checks" In His Name

“…the owner of Espana Restaurant and Bar discovered Johnson had cashed two unauthorized checks from the business in his name for $160 and $350…the checks were kept in a locked desk drawer in the basement of the business and were pre-signed to pay vendors…”

A 37-year-old Wauwatosa man is facing charges after he allegedly stole two checks from his employer and then cashed them in his name. Dana James Johnson was charged Thursday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with one count of theft. If convicted, he faces up to nine months in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Officers then went to Community Financial, 4525 W. North Ave., where they found security video footage of Johnson coming into the bank and cashing the checks.

For more:  http://wauwatosa.patch.com/articles/tosa-man-charged-with-stealing-checks-from-a-milwaukee-restaurant

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Filed under Crime, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Theft, Uncategorized