Secure scheduling advanced out of committee Thursday morning. But now the bill has an amendment that excludes workers in counties they classify as rural. People who work at the Walmart in Pasco need advance notice just like people who work at the Walmart in Renton. People who work at Taco Bell in Aberdeen need access to hours just like people who work at Taco Bell in Spokane. And people who work at the Olive Garden in Yakima need input into their schedules just like people who work at the Olive Garden in Vancouver.
Read MoreWe're telling the State Legislature to pass secure scheduling because our time counts!
The big food & retail chains don’t seem to love the idea of making our schedules work for us, too. They’re even sending general managers and lobbyists to tell the state legislature that despite all the evidence, workers don’t really have a problem with their work schedules. That’s why it’s so important that we show up and speak out about the realities of unstable and unpredictable work schedules. They need to hear that our time counts too!
Read Moreit meant moving up to full-time hours
Some people had other full-time jobs, so they were scheduled on the weekends. A couple other people were offered at least 25 hours/week. And for me and a couple other coworkers, it meant moving up to full-time hours. One of my coworkers had been working three different jobs before secure scheduling, and afterwards she was finally able to get a steady 40-hour schedule, so she was able to quit her other two jobs, which was a huge relief for her.
Read Morewithout my boss being able to change it in the snap of the fingers
This morning, Merlee, a parent and Jimmy John's worker in Seattle, came to City Council to testify about how the city's secure scheduling law has affected her life. Here's what she had to say:
"I owe it to my family to provide for them but also to be present and know when I get to invest time. Secure scheduling means I can be home with my kid when I need to — without my boss being able to change it in the snap of the fingers. I know I get to spend that time with my kid when I need to. I get that time for my family.
When I know my schedule I am able to build a life of quality. When I compare jobs and benefits, my secure scheduling & my two weeks' notice are at the top of my list."
History Made: Seattle passes groundbreaking secure scheduling law by unanimous vote
By a unanimous vote, Seattle made labor history once again by passing secure scheduling — the first new labor standard to address weekly work schedules since overtime pay became law in the 1930s. This landmark victory in Seattle is only the beginning in the fight for balanced and flexible schedules in Washington State and across the country
Read MoreTODAY: Seattle to make labor history with final vote to pass secure scheduling legislation
“Secure scheduling is the the first new labor standard to address weekly work schedules since overtime pay became law in the 1930s. Seattle is breaking new ground that will change the balance of power in coffee, food, and retail workplaces across the city." — Sejal Parikh, Executive Director, Working Washington
Read MoreKey Council vote on secure scheduling as two new studies underscore extent & impact of issue
A key Seattle City Council committee is set to vote Tuesday morning on whether or not to advance who would be the nation’s strongest secure scheduling ordinance to a vote of the full council — at the same time as two new reports underscore the extent and impact of unstable & insecure schedules.
Read More
Top 10 moments (and Top 1 sign) from today's Seattle City Council hearing on secure scheudling
WOW! Today’s committee hearing on secure scheduling was incredible — more than hour of public comment, almost entirely in support of the basic principle that our time counts! Check out our top 10 moments from the hearing (in no particular order) — and take a look at the top 1 sign.
Working Washington has an expert panel detail academic studies supporting new policy
We hosted an expert academic panel including Dr. Anna Haley-Lock (Rutgers University), Daniel Schneider (UC Berkeley) and Dr. Kristen Harknett (University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley) on the effects of unstable & unstable scheduling
Read MoreIt's On! Secure Scheduling Guidelines Release Points To Coming Victory
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.