Providence City Council passes 'Hospitality Worker Comeback'

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Providence City Council on Thursday passed the "Hospitality Worker Comeback" legislation.

The legislation was introduced by City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan at a City Council meeting earlier this month.

Any hotel worker who was laid off or furloughed because of the pandemic will have first priority at being rehired before other candidates.

"We don't yet know how long this current pandemic will impact our hospitality industry, but this important piece of legislation ensures that our hospitality industry employees will have jobs to come back to when their hotel reopens," said Ryan. "It also gives our hardworking hospitality professionals peace of mind that they will get their jobs back and reclaim their livelihoods as we return to normal business operations."

This will apply to those workers when city hotels reopen.