SAN FRANCISCO—In a 10-1 vote on Tuesday, April 6, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that will require businesses to re-hire thousands of workers laid-off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of hiring new employees.

The “back-to-work” ordinance was pushed by Supervisor Gordon Mar, who represents District 4 of the city.  Restaurants, hotels with at least 100 rooms, large grocery stores, and other businesses with more than 100 employees will have to abide by the ordinance.

Workers who have been laid-off will have “first dibs” at their jobs, if their place of employment reopens. Businesses that fall under the aforementioned criteria will also have to report unemployment records and names of laid-off workers to the city, while also providing information about local resources to those they have fired.

Workers who have been fired have had to work at least 90 days in their position in 2019 and were laid-off directly as a result of the pandemic emergency are eligible to get their jobs back, per the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (SFOEWD)

Businesses can find the reports they are required to fill out and turn into the city on the SFOEWD website.

According to the most recent data by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, San Francisco’s unemployment rate is 6.3 percent. If Mayor London Breed approves the ordinance, it will be in effect for up to one year.