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Dear John,
When you only get a few days—or a few hours—of notice before you have to work, it can be impossible to arrange child care, schedule doctor’s visits, or hold down another job to make ends meet. But that’s what millions of people—especially women and people of color—working in retail, restaurants, and other low-paying service sector jobs are expected to do every day, even during a pandemic that has made juggling work and caregiving harder than ever.
Without a reliable schedule and a reliable paycheck, it can be next to impossible to make a budget or plan your life. That’s why Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) just reintroduced the Schedules that Work Act, a bill that would combat employers’ use of unfair scheduling practices, give workers more input into their schedules, and promote the stability that working people and their families need.
Unstable job schedules undermine workers’ efforts to make ends meet and care for their families, and women are harmed the most. The Schedules that Work Act can change that and improve work scheduling practices by:
- Providing employees the right to request a schedule change without fear of retaliation,and the right to receive changes due to critical obligations, like caregiving, if there’s no good business reason not to grant the request;
- Requiring employers to provide 11 hours for workers to rest and commute between scheduled shifts, or time-and-a-half pay if an employee agrees to work with a shorter break between shifts; and
- Ensuring hourly workers in industries where last-minute schedule changes are most common receive their work schedules two weeks in advance, and are compensated when their shifts are changed or canceled with less notice than that.
The Schedules That Work Act can give working people the stability and financial security they deserve by ensuring fair and predictable work hours. Tell Congress to support workers and co-sponsor this bill today!
In solidarity,
Julie Vogtman
she/her/hers
Director of Job Quality
National Women's Law Center
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