Efforts advance to stabilize the schedules of part-time workers
By Diane Stafford, The Kansas City Star | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
In her part-time job, she can't tell you when she'll be at work any given day. One week she gets 20 hours of work, another 35.
"One day it's
Her variable work schedule is common in restaurants, retail stores, hotels, call centers and delivery services. Employers say labor flexibility is needed in today's economy to maintain profits.
So aided by computer programs, employers staff up or down to match consumer traffic and other demands. They use software programs named ShiftPlanning, NimbleSchedule, SnapSchedule, TimeTracker, WorkSchedule, WhenToWork, Shiftboard, ZoomShift, ShiftNote and ShiftZen.
Many part-time workers, though they may not pay attention at the time, sign work applications that specifically note they may be required to work varying hours as needed.
But when work hours bounce around, it becomes hard to juggle transportation, child care and personal appointments. It's also almost impossible to get second part-time jobs to augment incomes.
Thus the now widespread use of "just in time" scheduling is generating efforts, including congressional legislation, to make work hours more predictable.
Just last week,
In
"I usually come in at
'Schedules that work'
The movement to support "schedules that work" for employees includes a bill by that name, introduced this summer in the
Most business organizations, though, say "schedules that work" won't work. Opponents say businesses need to be able to quickly adjust staffing as needed. They say it's too costly to schedule and pay for labor if it's not needed, and the end result could shave profits and cause layoffs instead of expanding hours.
Attempts to legislate shift scheduling "are creating an issue where one doesn't exist," said
The
But Tsedeye Gebreselassie, a staff attorney at the
The issue is affecting more Americans. The number of part-time workers, estimated by the
Job market authorities note that some employers limit jobs to part-time hours because they would be required under the Affordable Care Act to offer health insurance to employees who are considered full time.
Speaking out
As the number of part-timers rise, "we're seeing more workers speak up about lack of hours, poor wages and bad scheduling," Gebreselassie said.
That surprises some workplace observers. Often considered replaceable, most part-time workers are afraid to challenge their employers publicly. Since last summer, though, the backing of labor unions, faith groups, economic justice organizations and others has emboldened more employees to speak out, particularly for pay increases, including a boost in the minimum wage, and the right to join a union.
"And, really, what's the trade-off between a job that gives you two hours a week or no job at all?" Gebreselassie asked, suggesting why some workers dare to come forward.
In addition to pushing for higher pay and schedules that work, worker advocacy groups are promoting laws that require paying workers at least some amount for being on call.
The on-call issue extends beyond hourly workers into the higher echelons of the American workforce. Workers of all stripes are required to be on call in case they're needed. Proponents of on-call pay argue that being on call limits workers' freedom to go places and do things, and they should be compensated in some way.
Other related and debated proposals would require employers -- if they have a business need to expand employment -- to offer more hours to existing part-time workers instead of hiring additional part-timers.
In the vanguard of that effort, voters in
Federal effort
President
Generally, the measures require employers to give consideration to workers' scheduling requests -- but don't demand that they comply. Even given the fairly toothless requirement, business operators generally oppose any legislative mandates governing schedules.
They dislike the "schedules that work" bill introduced in July by
Govtrack.us, a website that tracks bills in
A companion bill was introduced in the
"A single mom working two jobs should know if her hours are being canceled before she arranges for day care and drives halfway across town to show up at work," Warren said. "This is about some basic fairness in work scheduling so that both employees and employers have more certainty and can get the job done."
The bills also would:
Pay covered retail, food service and cleaning workers for at least four hours of work if they report to work as scheduled but are sent home early.
Give those covered workers their schedules at least two weeks in advance and pay them an hour's worth of pay if their schedules are changed with less than 24 hours' notice.
Give covered workers an extra hour of pay if they have to work split shifts within a single day.
Bonney, the restaurant association executive, believes the legislation is "mean-spirited and bad for business."
"The chance of getting anything passed in this
To reach
___
(c)2014 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)
Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Wordcount: | 1403 |
Fresno native Ara Dolarian goes from artist to arms dealer
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News