Senate Democrats support advance notice of work schedules
If you don’t know your work schedule, how can you plan child care, doctors visits, or parent teacher conferences? When you’re constantly worried about being called into work at the last minute it is harder to be there for your family. Low wage workers have the most unpredictable work schedules, and as a result can suffer from the worst rates of work related stress of any group of workers. All workers deserve the decency of having fair warning of their schedule, and to be able to spend their free time without worrying they may be called to work or suffer repercussions if they don’t drop everything to go in.
Unpredictable schedules are bad for workers. They cause increased stress, can contribute to poor mental health, and even have negative health impacts. Unpredictable hours also have personal impacts: they can make it harder to balance work and family obligations and make it harder for students to work their way through their education as work schedules could unpredictably impact academic requirements. Being unable to maintain a work-school balance is the number one reason reason young people drop out of school, which traps them in this cycle of unpredictable low wage labor.
Senate Democrats sponsored SB 422 to reduce the conflicts between work and family, or work and school. SB 422 would require advance notice of work schedule unless there is an unforeseeable circumstance, and prevent retaliation against workers who exercise their rights under this rule. The bill was tabled on party lines striking a blow to workers who deserve the decency of notice before they are expected to work.
New Hampshire needs a state Senate that will work to create an economy that works for everyone, and a Senate that will advocate for the needs of New Hampshire’s working families. A Democratic Senate Majority will create that Senate.
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