Press

Advocates Welcome News of Nine Attorney Generals’ Inquiry Into On-Call Scheduling

April 13, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2016

CONTACT: Bailey Dick, 419-260-6044, bailey@jwj.org

Washington, D.C. – Attorneys General in Washington, D.C., and eight states announced today the launch of an inquiry into on-call shifts and other abusive scheduling practices used by a number of retail employers, adding yet another voice to the growing movement to end unsustainable work schedules.

The nine attorneys general from New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. sent letters to 15 major retailers, including American Eagle, Aéropostale, Payless, Disney, Coach and Forever 21, asking each company about their use of on-call scheduling, which in the District, may be a violation of a decades-old law mandating at least four hours of pay for hourly employees reporting to work. In recent years, employers’ use of on-call schedules has grown. Complaints about this scheduling practice have proliferated because employers require the people who work for them to keep their schedules on hold for shifts they may never be assigned to or paid for.

An earlier round of inquiries into Gap, L Brands and Abercrombie and Fitch from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resulted in six retail companies announcing they would end on-call shifts in their stores.

Leaked Video Shows Majority of Chamber Members Support Predictable Schedules

April 4, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 4, 2016

CONTACT:
Bailey Dick
bailey(at)jwj.org
202-393-1044 x126

Washington D.C. – Footage of a webinar leaked to The Washington Post today shows that the majority of state Chamber of Commerce members support fair scheduling policies and suggests Chamber lobbyists may be misrepresenting their members in their opposition of predictable scheduling policies.

The video includes results of an internal poll that found 78 percent of current or prospective Chamber members support measures that would require employers to provide advance notice of schedules and end abusive “on-call” shifts that leave without a guarantee of work or pay for their time. These and other sustainable scheduling measures are already required under new rules enacted in San Francisco and are under consideration in a half-dozen other communities across the country.

The Chamber poll underscores the widespread support for setting standards that make sure that working people have schedules that allow them pay to their bills, plan their lives and take care of their loved ones. The landmark legislation to improve schedules for 40,000 retail employees in San Francisco was passed unanimously by the city’s Board of Supervisors, and a January poll found that 86 percent of D.C. residents would support pending legislation that would mandate more stable hours and predictable work schedules from employers. Dozens of national retailers have also ended or pledged to end the use of on-call schedules in their stores after public, employee and legal pressure to do so.

Dozens Speak at Hearing on New Rules for Stable Schedules and Employment

January 13, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Bailey Dick, 419-260-6044, bailey(at)jwj.org

Washington, D.C. – Today, dozens of D.C. employees, labor scholars, local business owners, and community leaders testified at a District Council hearing in favor of legislation that would bring more stable schedules and fuller employment to thousands of people who live and work in the District.

“At DC Jobs With Justice, we’ve surveyed hundreds of residents and talked to dozens of community organizations about this issue. It’s become very clear that an individual’s work schedule is more than a workplace issue,” said Nikki Lewis, executive director of DC Jobs With Justice. “We’ve heard that this is just too much for big chain companies to handle after the minimum wage increase and paid sick leave were passed. I find it hard to stomach how they can tell someone making below the poverty line, scrambling for more hours, and only asking for some more stability that they’re asking for too much.”