In Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association v. Ludwig, No. 05-CH-13796 (Cook Co. Cir. Ct. 2006), Davis, Cowell and Bowe successfully defended the constitutionality of the Room Attendant Amendment to the Illinois One Day Rest in Seven Act. Davis, Cowell & Bowe represented UNITE HERE Local 1, which was allowed to intervene as a defendant in the case. The court rejected claims that the Room Attendant Amendment was unconstitutional and preempted by the National Labor Relations Act.
The Room Attendant Amendment gives some 7,000 hotel room attendants in Cook County the right to two fifteen-minute rest breaks, a half-hour meal period, a room in which to take their breaks, and access to clean drinking water. The law also gives workers the ability to enforce these rights through private actions. UNITE HERE Local 1 lobbied for passage of the law in response to the serious health and safety risks faced by room attendants nationwide, as upgrades in guest room bedding and amenities have led to increased workloads.
