Indianapolis has not adopted a hotel worker retention ordinance. Unlike Los Angeles or Long Beach, Indianapolis hotels purchased or rebranded do not face local mandates to keep prior staff. Indiana state preemption of employment scheduling under IC 22-2-16 limits future local action.
Indianapolis does not have a hotel worker retention ordinance — the kind of measure used in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Washington, DC, that requires successor employers to keep existing staff for a transition period. Indiana state law IC 22-2-16, enacted in 2017, broadly preempts municipalities from regulating private-employer scheduling, predictability, or employee benefits beyond state baselines. Combined with IC 22-2-2 (minimum wage preemption), this leaves Indianapolis with little authority to enact retention rules. Private collective-bargaining agreements at union hotels (UNITE HERE Local 23) provide retention protections through contract, not ordinance. State law continues to permit prevailing-wage and project-labor agreements on city contracts.
There is no ordinance to violate. Hotel sales and rebrands proceed without local retention obligations. Workers depend on collective-bargaining agreements or federal WARN Act notice for displacement protection.
See how Indianapolis's hotel worker retention rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.