Seattle Pushes Sweeping New Rules for Worker Schedules

You’ve heard the battle cries over paying workers a “living wage.” Now, get ready for the next phase: “Livable schedules.”

On the heels of Seattle passing a controversial $15 minimum wage law, the City Council there is now drafting an ordinance that aims to shift power away from employers when it comes to how workers are scheduled and paid.

“I think there is a sense among some workers that they are being abused,” Seattle City Council member Lorena Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez is leading the effort to impose new rules on how employers schedule their workers. The ordinance is still being written, but it is expected to include:

A guarantee that workers get at least 11 hours of down time between shifts
A requirement that workers get schedules a week in advance, or else be paid time-and-a-half if shifts are added inside that timeframe
A requirement that employers pay employees for a few hours of work not performed if shifts are taken away

Several of these components are being pushed by Working Washington, the same group that successfully fought for a $15 minimum wage in Seattle.

Already, though, members of the business community are firing back against what they call the “restrictive scheduling” measures.

“It’s unfortunate that the city of Seattle seems hell-bent on these one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approaches to wages and hour issues,” said Patrick Connor of the National Federation of Independent Business. “I think this is going to be one more straw that may soon break the camel’s back.”

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