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Congress Reintroduces the Schedules That Work Act and Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act to Promote Equitable Workplaces
(Washington, D.C.) Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Jan Schakowsky reintroduced the Schedules That Work Act and the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act—two pieces of critical legislation that will afford vital protections to millions of people working in low-paid and part-time jobs.
The Schedules That Work Act curbs the use of “just-in-time” scheduling practices, which often leave working people scrambling to manage unpredictable work schedules and volatile incomes. The bill requires employers in certain industries to provide two weeks’ notice of work schedules and compensation for last-minute shift changes. The bill also guarantees all employees the right to adequate rest between shifts and the right to request a schedule change without fear of retaliation. The Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights requires employers to grant part-time and full-time employees equal wages, benefits, and promotion opportunities when they perform substantially similar jobs, and to offer additional hours to existing part-time workers who want to work more before making new hires.
The following is a statement by Emily Martin, Vice President for Education & Workplace Justice at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC):
“Unpredictable and inadequate work hours have long been a problem for part-time and hourly workers in low-paid jobs, which means they have been a problem for women, and especially for women of color. But the harms posed by volatile work hours—and the uncertain paychecks they produce—have intensified during the pandemic, as workers face new risks to their health, inadequate access to paid leave and paid sick days, and additional caregiving challenges posed by school and child care closures and quarantines. Together, the Schedules That Work Act and the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights will help working people meet their responsibilities both on and off the job, bolster economic security for their families, and help close race and gender wage gaps.”