Schedules That Work Act

Key Points

• All employees at companies with 15+ workers gain the right to request changes to their hours, times, location, or schedule predictability. Employers must engage in a good-faith discussion and can only deny requests related to health, caregiving, education, or a second job for a specific "bona fide business reason."
• Workers in retail, food service, cleaning, hospitality, and warehouse jobs must receive their work schedules at least 14 days in advance, in writing. Employers who fail to provide timely notice owe $75 per day to each affected employee. New hires must get their schedule on or before their first day.
• Employers who change a covered worker's shift with less than 14 days' notice must pay "predictability pay" — one extra hour of regular pay for added or moved hours, and at least half the regular rate for each cancelled or reduced hour.
• All employees at covered employers gain the right to decline any shift that starts less than 11 hours after their previous shift ended, without penalty. If they agree to work these close-together shifts, they must be paid at 1.5 times their regular rate.
• The bill requires extra pay for split shifts (one additional hour at regular pay) and includes strong anti-retaliation protections. Employers face civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation for retaliating against workers who exercise their rights.
• Workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement that already addresses scheduling practices can be exempt from the bill's requirements, but only if the agreement expressly waives them. The bill also preserves any state or local laws that provide stronger protections.