Seattle foodservice workers resist scheduling restrictions

A group of foodservice workers is fighting Seattle's proposal to place limits on how far ahead of time foodservice operations and other employers can set and alter staff schedules.

The Full Service Workers Alliance of Seattle, a coalition that claims to include over 1,000 Seattle restaurant workers, has formed around an opposition to the city’s scheduling legislation. Some members have been outspoken about Seattle’s efforts to require employers to set schedules weeks in advance and forego last-minute changes, arguing that workers appreciate the flexibility as much as employers do.

The bill could include employer mandates to set schedules 14 days ahead of time, to compensate employees for unpredictable scheduling changes and to offer extra hours to team members on payroll before hiring additional staff.

During stakeholder meetings and legislative workshops, provisions have been aired to modify the scheduling proposal that was adopted in San Francisco in 2014. That city has approved legislation limiting employers' scheduling leeway, but included a provision that allows workers to change their schedules without penalty. 

Seattle's City Council commissioned a study of how prevailing scheduling practices impact hourly employees in the city. The study found that though Seattle workers have high levels of satisfaction with their work schedule, nearly a third (30%) reported that having irregular schedules at work created serious problems and that people of color were disproportionately burdened by the unpredictability.

Foodservice workers experience short-notice scheduling more often than retail—half report receiving less than one week’s notice of shift and shift changes, the report found.

“The data reveals that a significant number of Seattle employees’ schedules produce hardship including difficulty planning a budget, a second job and childcare needs,” said Lisa Herbold, one of two council members preparing the ordinance.

According to a council spokesperson, the so-called secure scheduling bill will likely be introduced before the City Council takes recess Aug. 22 and brought to a vote after the council returns in September.