NEW HAVEN, CT— U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) today joined Connecticut hourly workers, labor unions and other organizations fighting for fair scheduling practices to discuss the Schedules That Work Act. The bill was introduced by DeLauro in July to establish fair and reasonable workplace scheduling practices. Murphy is a cosponsor of the Senate version of the bill.


“Low-wage workers in America are too often being jerked around,” DeLauro said. “These women—and they are usually women—cannot plan ahead, or make arrangements to see that their kids and family are being taken care of. This bill would protect low-wage workers from abuse and help ensure they can look after their families. Congress needs to ensure that people putting in a hard day’s work get a fair day’s pay and the ability to care for their loved ones.”


"Women in Connecticut who have low wage jobs are working hard every day to make ends meet and provide for their families, but it’s nearly impossible for them to get ahead when their employer doesn’t give them much say when it comes to scheduling the hours they work,” Murphy said. “In Connecticut, women make up the majority of hourly workers, and they especially deserve a work schedule that allows them to plan for reliable child care, secure a second job or continue their education. I’m proud to support the Schedules That Work Act because it will allow hourly workers in Connecticut the flexibility they need to have more prosperous, stable and happy lives."


“We need more informed discussions such as this where we can highlight the concerns of working women,” said Carolyn Treiss, executive director of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW). “Family-friendly workplace policies are a cornerstone of women’s overall ability to balance work and life issues, as well as build assets for their retirement. This is especially true of low-wage workers and so we applaud Congresswoman DeLauro and Sen. Murphy for providing the opportunity for debate, and for sponsoring, and co-sponsoring, respectively, the Schedules That Work Act.”


Liz Watson, Director of Workplace Justice for Women at the National Women’s Law Center, said “When workers have only one or two days’ notice of their schedules, it is nearly impossible to arrange child care, hold down a second job or get a leg up by going to school. This hits women especially hard, because women hold the majority of low-wage jobs where these scheduling practices are common, while shouldering the lion’s share of caregiving responsibilities. We are grateful to Congresswoman DeLauro and Senator Murphy for their leadership on this issue. The Schedules that Work Act is a much needed solution to the scheduling crisis facing workers across the nation.”

"Inconsistent and fluctuating work schedules disrupt transportation and child care arrangements and endanger the workers continued employment and family stability; especially for those working more than one job to make ends meet," William Villano, President and CEO of Workforce Alliance, said.

"Good employers know that workers who are invested and committed make the best employees,” Alice Pritchard, Executive Director of the CT Working Families Party, said. “The flexible work schedules and minimum shift pay called for in the Schedules that Work Act can increase workers' economic security and their value to employers. Congresswoman DeLauro and Senator Murphy understand these issues and provide much needed support for working women.” 

“As traditional workplace schedules disappear it's an important family protection for this type of legislation to be passed and we applaud Senator Murphy and Congresswoman DeLauro for leading the way,” said Lori Pelletier, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of Connecticut’s AFL-CIO.

"Far too often, workers have no say in their schedules," said Lindsay Farrell, Executive Director of Connecticut Working Families. “That’s why we're supporting Senator Murphy and Representative DeLauro's push to pass the Schedules that Work Act. Workers shouldn't have to deal with their schedules changing the day before, or coming to work and being sent home because they aren't needed, or working two shifts in a day with hours between. That makes caring for a family, or getting ahead by going to school, or working additional jobs nearly impossible."

The Schedules That Work Act would provide relief to workers facing irregular and unpredictable schedules by:

  • Protecting all employees from retaliation for requesting a more flexible, predictable or stable schedule.
  • Creating a process for considering requests that is responsive to the needs of both employees and employers. Employees who make requests because they have caregiving duties, are pursuing education or training courses, or need to meet the demands of a second job, or to manage a serious health condition must be granted the schedule change, unless the employer has a bona fide business reason for denying it.
  • Compensating workers for at least four hours of work at the employee’s regular rate if that employee reports to work and is sent home because his or her services are not needed due to low-demand.
  • Providing that employees receive work schedules two weeks in advance. Though schedules may later be changed, one hour’s worth of extra pay is required for schedules changed with less than 24 hours’ notice.
  • Providing workers an extra hour of pay if scheduled to work non-consecutive shifts.