Seattle Will Appeal After Hotel Employees Initiative Struck Down

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle will appeal a recent appellate court ruling that struck down a voter-approved law that provides extra safety measures for hospitality workers. A state appeals court on Dec. 24 struck down I-124, the Hotel Employees Health and Safety Initiative.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes will bring the city's appeal to the state Supreme Court, according to Mayor Jenny Durkan.

I-124 provides a host of safety protections, particularly for hotel and motel cleaning staff. The law requires that any hotel with more than 60 rooms provide employees with panic buttons, and requires hotels to ban guests accused of violent or sexual assault.

The Washington Hospitality Association and the Seattle Hotel Association sued to block I-124 soon after it was approved in 2016. The groups said that the law violated the state Constitution because it included too many topics. Article II, section 19 of the Constitution prohibits any law that "embrace[s] more than one subject." The appeals court agreed with that interpretation.

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