In a victory for New York City Hotel Trades Council union, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration will seek to enact a special permit requirement for hotel construction.
The citywide requirement would mandate hotel developers receive City Council approval for projects — giving the HTC the opportunity ensure new hotels are unionized, according to the New York Times.
Developers say the requirement would hinder hotel development at a time when New York tourism is booming, but the HTC sees the move as a win for hotel workers in the face of threats from short-term rental companies like Airbnb.
The HTC was the only labor union to endorse de Blasio in his failed presidential run and spent $440,000 on ads for the campaign.
But HTC president Peter Ward maintained that the conversation to enact the special permit requirement began before his union’s ad spend.
Last month, the union also won a crucial victory in New Jersey, when voters approved restrictions on Airbnb in light of rising housing costs. [NYT] — Georgia Kromrei