It
recently voted for an increase in minimum wages and will gradually
implement it over a period of three years, to reach $15 per hour.
The
bill consists of two parts of legislation, with five provisions
targeting an easier life for hourly workers employed at the chain
stores and restaurants within the city.
Some
of its terms include employers posting schedules at least two weeks
in advance, offering extra hours to part-time employees, rather than
employing new workers, and remunerating employees for hours when they
are on call, and shifts are canceled.
These
measures are being taken in a bid to protect against the
unpredictable schedules which have become a massive problem for
workers on low incomes. There are many employers who make use of
‘just-in-time’ scheduling software, which determines how many
workers are required at a particular time, based on factors such as
sales levels, traffic, and at times, weather. This software often
leads to short, erratic shifts for workers.
A
recent study undertaken by the University of Chicago has shown that
41% of early-career hourly workers were only informed of their
schedules a week or less in advance. These hours often change
dramatically and it was found that the hours varied by around 37% to
what was considered to be usual hours.
This
makes it difficult for those workers who have to arrange their
schedules around children and other family members and those who have
two or more jobs. The most important issue here though is that
unpredictable shifts result in unpredictable income, which makes it
almost impossible to budget.
One
of the least covered and most serious problems faced by low-income
Americans is income fluctuation. An Urban Institute paper during
2010 indicated that 20% of Americans within the bottom quintile of
earners had to endure an income decrease of 50% and above within a
year.
Workers
based in San Francisco will now have to be advised two weeks ahead of
time if their normal week’s 30 hours could be reduced to 15 later
during the month. This may not be acceptable, but it allows them to
plan better.
This
type of bill is partially due to the drop in unions within the US.
Wages and scheduling were previously negotiated by unions, but the
declining power of labor has turned these fights into political ones.
This
form of bill has been placed on the federal level, with Democrats
introducing the Schedules that Work Act during July, which would have
offered the same scheduling requirements. The bill is currently in
committee, but it is not expected to be passed.
