California Hotel Paying $2.75M for Pandemic Return-to-Work Law Violations

A California hotel is paying $2.75 million for failing to comply with a state law that requires offering available positions to former employees based on seniority after pandemic-related layoffs.

The California Labor Commissioner’s Office secured the settlement for 24 workers who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The settlement resolves allegations that the Anaheim Marriott Hotel failed to comply with California’s Right to Recall law.

The law was enacted in 2021. The law required covered employers to offer available positions to qualified former employees based on seniority before hiring other workers.

The LCO investigated claims that hospitality workers laid off because of the pandemic were passed over when positions became available, finding that workers did not receive recall offers based on seniority.