Massachusetts and Boston have repeatedly considered hotel worker retention and right-of-recall protections; current obligations come from the 2022 statewide hospitality recall law and Boston-specific labor harmony provisions in city contracts.
There is no standalone Boston hotel worker retention ordinance comparable to Los Angeles's Hotel Worker Recall Ordinance. Instead, hotel labor protections in Boston flow from two sources: state-level emergency hospitality recall provisions enacted during the COVID-19 recovery period, and labor harmony or successor-employer clauses written into Boston Convention Center, BPDA-permitted, and city-contracted hotel projects. Successor hotels acquiring covered properties are typically required to retain incumbent service workers for a transition period and to consider them first for vacancies. Coverage thresholds vary by deal but commonly apply to hotels of 50+ rooms.
Aggrieved workers may file private lawsuits, complaints with the Massachusetts Attorney General Fair Labor Division, or contract-based grievances; remedies include reinstatement, back pay, and liquidated damages.
Boston, MA
Boston employees are covered by two state-level paid leave regimes: Paid Family and Medical Leave under MGL Ch. 175M and Earned Sick Time under MGL Ch. 149 §...
Boston, MA
Boston's Living Wage Ordinance requires city contractors and certain subcontractors, including some hotel-related service vendors, to pay covered employees a...
See how Boston's hotel worker retention rules stack up against other locations.
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