Instead of offering predictable shifts and reliable hours, companies like Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Target are driving workers’ lives out of balance with unstable & insecure schedules that don’t offer the stability and flexibility you need to care for your family, contribute to your community, and live a balanced life.

Below are the key secure scheduling policies introduced by Mayor Murray, Councilmember Herbold, and Councilmember Gonzalez:

Advance notice of our schedules so we can plan our lives.  

If you only get your schedule a few days before the workweek starts, life becomes a constant scramble, and it’s almost impossible to make time to help the kids with homework, participate in your community, or even just make an appointment. Workers would receive periodic good-faith estimates of their hours, and at least 2 weeks’ notice of their schedules so they can plan their lives and find the balance & flexibility they need.

Predictability pay for being flexible if things change. 

When an employer changes the posted schedule, employees should receive a modest amount of predictability pay in recognition of the flexibility they’re providing to their employers by making that change — rescheduling an appointment, juggling childcare arrangements, missing class, or canceling plans. If an employer cuts or cancels a shift, workers would receive compensation for half the scheduled hours that are lost, and if an employer adds a shift to the schedule, workers would receive one hour of predictability pay for their flexibility.

Shift swapping for additional flexibility when life happens. 

Voluntarily swapping shifts is a key way workers maintain their flexibility, and this must be protected. In order to ensure employers continue this practice for workers who need to create some extra flexibility of their own, there would be no predictability pay for employee-initiated shift swaps. 

Access to hours for those who want them.

In order to help ensure everyone has access to the hours they need to pay the rent and make a budget, current employees who want to work more hours should have the opportunity to take on newly-posted shifts before additional part-time employees are brought on. 

A right to rest which eliminates mandatory clopens.

Everyone should have enough time after leaving work to make it home, take a shower, and get some sleep before they have to come back to work the next day. We can protect the right to rest by making sure nobody is forced to work back-to-back closing and opening shifts that are less than 10 hours apart on different days. This wouldn’t affect doubles or split shifts, and if a worker voluntarily chooses to work a clopen, they should get overtime pay for those hours that fall within the 10-hour window. 

covering workers at large coffee, food, and retail chains

These secure scheduling policies would cover workers at coffee, retail, and fast food companies which employ more than 500 people globally in their company, chain, or franchise network. The current proposal also includes workers at  full-service restaurant chains with more than 500 global employees and more than 40 locations. (Think: Starbucks, REI, Target, McDonald's, Olive Garden).

Hear something different? Got questions? You can check out our FAQ on these policies, and ask any other questions you have.