The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by grocery owners to overturn “worker retention” ordinances in Los Angeles and other California cities.

The ordinances are designed protect workers from being fired when their company changes owners. The conservative Pacific Legal Foundation filed the appeal on behalf of the California Grocers Association. It argued to the High Court that the Los Angeles ordinance passed in 2005 illegally denies new grocery store owners the right to hire their own employees unless they agree to maintain a unionized workforce.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied review of California Grocers Association vs. Los Angeles without comment. The California Supreme Court in July upheld the Los Angeles ordinance, overturning lower court decisions favoring store owners.

The ruling also lets stand other worker retention ordinances that have been adopted in Oakland and several other Bay Area communities.