Law mandates panic buttons for hotel housekeepers

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. >> New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Tuesday that he and others said is the nation’s first requiring most hotels to provide their workers with wearable panic buttons they can press to summon help quickly in an emergency.

The Democratic governor and several nationwide unions said New Jersey is the first state to mandate the devices, although similar measures are under consideration in Illinois, Florida and Washington state. And some hotel chains, including Marriott and Hilton, have announced plans to provide the devices to their workers without being forced to by government.

“I am proud to sign panic button legislation to give hotel workers security and the ability to immediately call for help should they need it,” Murphy said as he signed the bill, surrounded by one housekeeper from each of the nine Atlantic City casinos.

The law takes effect in January and applies to hotels with 100 or more rooms.

In 2018, a 51-year-old room cleaner at Bally’s casino was pushed into a room by a man who then sexually assaulted her.

“The housekeepers were enraged after that,” said Ben Albert, an official with Local 54 of the Unite-Here union.

Several housekeepers interviewed after the signing said they have had instances in which they felt unsafe on the job.

“If you think something is wrong, you can push this and help will come,” said Daksha Parikh, a housekeeper at the Tropicana casino. “It’s a layer of protection for us. Sometimes it’s a long floor of rooms and you may be the only one working there.”

Iris Sanchez, a housekeeper at Caesars, said she opened the door to a room one day only to have two dogs come charging out at her. She’s relieved she will be able to summon help at the touch of a button.

The devices would automatically contact building security.