A new bill proposed to the DC Council on Tuesday is aiming to force businesses in the District of Columbia to rehire their employees that they fired during the coronavirus pandemic.
Called the “Displaced Workers Right to Reinstatement and Retention Act,” the bill would make it mandatory for DC employers to offer laid-off employees their former jobs before trying to hire new staff for the same positions.
In order to be eligible, one must be an “employee whose most recent separation from employment occurred on or after February 1, 2020, and was not due to either voluntary resignation without good cause or misconduct,” according to the proposed bill.
The former employee must receive such an offer from their employer in writing or by registered mail, and they would have at least 10 days to accept or decline the offer from the date of receiving it.
“The bill also speaks to hotels, restaurants, entertainment and events. It is those four sectors. So, it’s not any employee. It also speaks to businesses with 35 or more employees. So, we’re not talking about mom and pop [shops],” DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told WUSA9 about the new bill.