Hotel owners vow to kill licensing bill, defying powerful union
Hotel owners descended on City Hall on Thursday in a show of force against a bill that they say would cripple the city’s hospitality industry. But the powerful hotel workers’ union backing the legislation is making progress in its quest to push it through the City Council.
The bill, by Manhattan Councilwoman Julie Menin, would for the first time require hotels to get a license to operate in New York City. To get a license, owners would need to show compliance with various safety safety rules and also be barred from hiring non-union subcontractors for jobs like housekeeping and the front desk — satisfying a key goal of the Hotel Gaming and Trades Council union.