Murphy, Warren, Delauro, Murray, Scott Introduce Schedules That Work Act To End Unstable Scheduling Practices

Press Release

Today, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and 75 of their colleagues introduced the Schedules that Work Act in the Senate and House. The legislation addresses unstable, unpredictable, and rigid scheduling practices like placing workers "on-call" with no guarantee of work hours, scheduling them for "split shifts" of non-consecutive hours, sending workers home early without pay when demand is low and punishing workers who request schedule changes.

These scheduling practices disproportionately affect low-wage workers and workers in retail, food service, and cleaning occupations, and make it hard for these workers and their families to maintain stable child care, care for other family members, pursue career development or other education, get or keep a second job, or take care of their own health. Variable schedules can also lead to significant fluctuations in income for workers. As a result, workers struggle to manage their household incomes and balance professional responsibilities with individual and family needs.

"This effort is about giving hourly workers the freedom and stability to be there for their kids, budget their money, and make time for a life without being tethered to their jobs. Hourly workers can't plan for the future, let alone next month, when they don't know how many hours they'll work or even which days of the week they'll be expected to work," said Murphy. "Congress must pass the Schedules That Work Act because it's a commonsense way to improve workers' lives."

"This bill is about basic fairness," said Warren. "A single mom should know if her hours are being canceled before she arranges for daycare and drives halfway across town to show up at work. Someone who wants to go to school to get an education should not be able to get fired just for asking for a more predictable schedule. A worker who is told to wait around on-call for hours with no guarantee of work hours should get something for his time. It's time to end unfair scheduling practices that hurt workers and families."

"Families are struggling to put food on the table and pay their bills, let alone take a vacation or think about putting their kids through college," said DeLauro. "Unpredictable scheduling means low-wage workers cannot plan ahead, or make arrangements to see that their kids and family are being taken care of. The Schedules That Work Act would protect workers from abuse and help ensure they can look after their families. Congress needs to ensure that people putting in a hard day's work get a fair day's pay and the ability to care for their loved ones."

"Our country, our economy, and our workplaces should work for all families, not just the wealthiest few, but today, unfair scheduling practices keep workers guessing on when they'll be called in to work and with no guarantee of how much money they'll earn in a given week," Murray said. "That makes it nearly impossible for many workers to balance their jobs with individual and family needs. Our bill would alleviate some of that needless pressure on workers and restore economic security and stability to more families."

"Employers are constantly counting on workers to increase their bottom lines and workers deliver-again and again," said Scott. "In return, workers ought to be able to count on their employers to provide a stable schedule and a steady paycheck. At a time when families are still struggling to make ends meet, the Schedule that Works Act gives workers the ability to plan their lives. We can rebuild our nation's middle class by giving hardworking families and Americans a long overdue raise, and by protecting them from the most abusive work scheduling practices that threaten their livelihoods and their families."