California Hotel Groups Flat Out Reject Fitted Sheet Requirement in Proposed Housekeeping Bill
By Michelle Macaluso
Published May 11, 2011
| FoxNews.com
Fitted or flat?
That’s the weighty question facing the California Legislature, which is considering a bill that would regulate what type of sheets can be used on hotel bed mattresses across the state.
Supporters of the bill argue it will reduce worker injuries by eliminating the need for workers to repetitively lift extremely heavy mattresses when making beds. They contend that flat sheets cause workers to strain their backs, shoulders and wrists, and are often responsible for repetitive motion injuries.
State Bill 432, sponsored by Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), also calls for the use of long-handled tools like mops and dusters so housekeepers do not have to get down on their hands and knees to clean bathroom floors.
“Just by using fitted sheets you could cut the number of lifts in half, and we think that would go a long way in preventing worker injury,” said Leigh Shelton, a spokesperson for UNITE HERE, a union that represents California hospitality workers.
But the hotel workers union say that they'll continue to push for reform, especially after a study that they commissioned concluded there was a higher injury rate among hotel housekeepers when compared to most other service workers.
So why does the union need the legislature to enact a law? Why not just include it in the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations and go out on strike if it is not adopted?
