Dozens of vehicles drove through the Oakland airport and around nearby hotels on Monday during a caravan protest.
Hotel and airport workers, along with their supporters, held the car rally in an effort to push for a law securing the right to return to work. Oakland City Council member Sheng Thao will be introducing the right to recall ordinance to guarantee Oakland workers the right to return or be rehired by their employers who laid them off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ordinance will be heard June 29 by a City Council committee.
The right to recall ordinance would ensure that when these hotels begin rehiring people, they offer those who have been laid off the first chance at the jobs. According to the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, an estimated 14,957 workers would be affected by the legislation — 12,010 food and drink workers, 1,318 contracted food service workers, 1,595 hotel workers, 320 airport service workers and 2,350 stadium workers.
As of 2017, leisure and hospitality was the third largest sector in Oakland, behind only healthcare and transportation/wholesale. Combined with retail services, a full 16 percent of Oakland workers were in hospitality, restaurant, and retail jobs, according to the alliance.
The following groups are pushing the legislation: the Alameda Labor Council, Centro Legal de la Raza, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Economic Justice for Black Oakland, Faith In Action East Bay, Oakland Rising, Reem’s California, Restaurant Opportunity Center, SEIU USWW, Street Level Health Project and UFCW Local 5.
