Let start with the good news: just hours ago, a secure scheduling bill was officially introduced in the Washington State Legislature! The bill would ensure people who work for large fast food, coffee, restaurant & retail chains in our state get balanced, flexible schedules that include:
Two weeks’ notice of shift schedules.
Access to additional hours for current employees before new jobs are posted.
Input into work schedules, and more flexibility to accommodate caregiving, schooling, and other major life needs.
No mandatory clopening shifts (working the closing shift one night then an opening shift the next morning).
And more!
But now for the not-so-good news. The lobby group for the chain restaurant industry is coming to Olympia for their annual gala next week. Hordes of corporate executives and lobbyists will be walking the halls of the State Capitol, trying to get our legislators to represent their interests on issues like secure scheduling.
The Washington State Legislature is considering a law that would offer food & retail workers advance notice of schedules, access to additional hours, and more balanced, flexible worklives. Tell your legislators why you support secure scheduling.
The execs and lobbyists might throw a good party — or maybe not?? — but either way we're pretty sure that they're going to have a different position on workers' rights than we do. So it’s critical that our legislators hear from us in the next few days — before they hear from the corporate lobbyists over the next week.
If you work in the service industry, we put together a quick tool to help you get a message to your legislators about why we need secure scheduling.
And if you work in a different industry, we need your support too: spread the word about secure scheduling, make sure you've signed onto our What Workers Want agenda, and consider making a contribution to support our campaign. We’re all more powerful when we all have each other’s backs.
>>> Check it out, send a message, and make your voice heard!
Look, we’re probably never going to get support from the likes of McDonald’s and Walmart. And they're probably never going to invite us to their fancy receptions for legislators.
We're ok with that.
And that’s why we count on support from members like you across the state. (Your parties are probably better too.)
Your support is why we were able to take such a big step forward today. Now we need to keep it moving.