Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City Council members announced a package of bills designed to ensure predictable schedules for fast-food and retail workers. The new bills will go into effect in 180 days.
The fast-food scheduling-related bills, which were announced in part by de Blasio last fall, would require fast-food employers to give written notice of schedules to their employees no less than two weeks in advance, written “good faith” estimates of weekly hours to new employees, regulate the practice of “clopenings,” or consecutive closing-then-opening shifts, and also would require fast-food employers to offer any new shifts to current employees before they hire anyone else. If a fast-food employer makes changes to an employee’s schedule with less than 14 days’ notice, the employer must pay the employee a premium.
An additional fast-food industry-related bill requires fast-food employers to deduct and remit voluntary contributions to nonprofits when their employees make such a request in writing, if the recipient nonprofits meet certain requirements.
A bill applicable to those retailers with 20 or more employees in New York City prohibits such retailers from scheduling their employees for “on call” shifts, which force employees to check in with their employers on little to no notice about whether or not they will be working on any given day.
De Blasio said that current scheduling practices have made it difficult for thousands of lower-wage earners in New York City to take on additional employment, plan for child or elder care, or further their education.
“Last fall, we promised to make the lives of some of our city’s hardest working just a little bit easier by bringing fair, predictable scheduling to their jobs. These bills deliver on that promise,” de Blasio said.
“Predictable schedules and predictable paychecks should be a right, not a privilege. With this legislation, we are continuing to build a fairer and more equitable city for all New Yorkers,” he added.
