Nenita Ibe talks to Sen. Kevin de León, author of SB 432, which calls for hotels to use fitted sheets and long-handled cleaning tools to help workers avoid injuries from lifting and kneeling.
Ibe was one of several hotel housekeepers who testified Wednesday before the state Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations, which voted 5-2 to pass a measure that advocates say will greatly reduce the amount of workplace injuries among hotel housekeepers.
The proponents cited a 2002 study by the University of California, Berkeley's Labor Occupation Health Program, which found a high level of injuries among housekeepers.
The California Hotel & Lodging Association and several other hospitality organizations opposed the bill, saying the fitted-sheet requirement alone will cost the industry about $15 million.
Knott said hotel operators nowadays provide ergonomic training for housekeepers and provide tools such as bed wedges that make it easier to lift mattresses.