Outgoing Baltimore mayor vetoes 2 bills intended to protect hospitality workers

We recently alerted you about two bills passed by the Baltimore City Council that would have made doing business for certain employers in the city more difficult (see “Baltimore City Council approves 2 bills protecting employee rights during pandemic,” in our December 2020 issue). On November 19, however, outgoing Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young vetoed both bills, which were heavily supported by local unions.

What the bills would have done

The vetoed bills were intended to protect hospitality workers in the city. One bill would have required certain employers in Baltimore to maintain a seniority-based preferential hire list for any employees laid off during the COVID pandemic. The second would have required a successor Baltimore hotel employer to (1) retain the incumbent’s workforce in the event of a transfer of ownership for a certain period and (2) refrain from discharging any of the incumbent employees hired during the period except for good cause.

Both bills passed the city council with a significant majority. Several members have promised to seek an override of Mayor Young’s vetoes. Under current law, a veto could be overridden with 12 votes. Under a new city charter amendment that was to take effect on December 3, 2020, only 10 votes would be needed.

Takeaway