Philadelphia Poised to Pass "Fair Workweek" Law

December 14, 2018
by Mark Wilson

The Philadelphia Council voted through a so-called “fair workweek” bill requiring employers to grant retail, food service, and hospitality workers notice of schedules and a minimum of nine hours between shifts.

Under the Philadelphia Fair Workweek ordinance, employers are required to provide employees with:

• A good-faith estimate of the days and number of hours an employee will likely be scheduled to work on a weekly basis, and whether the employee will be needed for on-call shifts;
  
  
• At least 10 days’ written notice of their work schedules, with an increase to 14 days' notice beginning on January 1, 2021;
  
  
• Additional compensation for any last-minute schedule changes; and
  
  
• Increased opportunities to work full-time by offering available shifts to part-time workers before hiring new employees.

Looking ahead: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kennedy is expected to sign the measure, which would take effect on January 1, 2020.  Philadelphia will then join New York City, Seattle, and the Bay Area cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Emeryville in passing a fair workweek law.  With a clear escalation of this policy at the local level, expect Congress to hold hearings and to see bills introduced on the issue in 2019.