Workers in the city of Seattle are on the cusp of bringing a groundbreaking set of laws into reality.
Yesterday Mayor Murray, Councilmember Herbold and Councilmember Gonzalez proposed secure scheduling guidelines which would provide thousands of Seattle workers with balanced and flexible work schedules. With a city council meeting scheduled that same morning, Working Washington members knew it was important to rally around this necessary step and give their support. Dozens of Working Washington members and supporters showed for a press conference at the doors of city hall, applauding the decision of the council and stating unequivocally that workers in Seattle would keep pushing the city in the right direction until their needs for flexible and secure schedules were met. We didn't stop there though; we went right into the city council meeting and made sure our voices were heard during public commentary to the tune of over a dozen speakers in favor of secure scheduling.
This didn't happen by accident; baristas and fast food workers have been rallying in the streets, speaking at the secure scheduling hearings, and sharing stories of how unpredictable and unstable schedules have affected them led to a proposal which addresses:
- Two weeks advance notice of schedules so we can plan our lives
- Predictability pay so that we are compensated for changes that affect our lives on short notice
- Shift swapping so we can keep the flexibility of trading shifts with our co-workers
- Right to rest so that we aren’t forced to clopen and can get a healthy amount of sleep and tend to our lives in-between shifts, without affecting split shifts or doubles
- Access to hours for employees that want more shifts, before additional part-timers are brought on
But we're not done, and we need to make sure these guidelines become law. In the past day alone, over 100 Seattle residents have added their name to our petition calling on City Council to make these guidelines into law.
Click to add your name and join them.
And then please join us next Tuesday, August 16th, for an evening session of major public hearing on secure scheduling at City Hall from 5-7 PM.