Sen. Kennedy Calls for Fairness in Work Schedules

From the Office of Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr.: Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford) recently testified in support of SB 747, a bill he introduced to end the unfair and abusive labor practice known as “on-call” shift scheduling. The bill was formally raised in the Labor and Public Employees Committee, where many workers from across Connecticut attended to explain how this policy has created stress and uncertainty in their daily lives.

“On-call” shift scheduling is an employment policy used by many retailers, big box stores and restaurants, that requires hourly workers to hold their days and hours open in case they may be required to work, with no guarantee or promise that they will be needed. If employees are not called into work, employees are not paid, despite setting aside their time. If they are called at the last minute, they are expected to report to work as soon as possible, frequently within the hour.

On-call shift policies affect many part-time, hourly workers in low-wage jobs, primarily in the service industry.

By not giving their employees a reasonable amount of time, such as 24 hours, before they are scheduled to work, employers are causing tremendous stress, uncertainty and anxiety. Employees cannot count on a steady paycheck, cannot pursue an additional job, and have trouble arranging for child care on such short notice.

“Thankfully, many businesses, such as the Walt Disney Company and Abercrombie & Fitch, have recognized the fundamental unfairness of ‘on-call’ shift scheduling and have recently announced that they would permanently stop this practice. However, other large businesses lag behind. We need to make Connecticut a more stable, family-friendly and fair place to work. We all benefit when employees are able to do the best job they can,” said Senator Kennedy.

Image via the Office of Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr.