Today, on July 13th, 2021, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice along with many union leaders, community leaders, and worker activists testified in front of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development in favor of our legislative priority: the Fair Work Week Bill (H. 1974 and S. 1236). Please read below on our organizational stance on the Fair Work week legislation and why this is our priority in the fight for reproductive, racial, and economic justice.

COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 

TESTIMONY OF Lily Huang and Alicia Fleming of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice IN SUPPORT OF

H. 1974: An Act Relative to the Scheduling of Employees

S. 1236: An Act Relative to the Scheduling of Employees

Bill H.1974   Bill S.1236

July 13th, 2021

Chairwoman Jehlen, Chairman Cutler, and members of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, my name is Lily Huang, and I am here to offer testimony on behalf of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice IN SUPPORT of H. 1974: An Act Relative to the Scheduling of Employees, and S. 1236: An Act Relative to the Scheduling of Employees, jointly known as the Fair Workweek Bill. I am the co-executive director of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, along with Alicia Fleming, who unfortunately could not be here to testify along with me today. 

Many low wage workers in Massachusetts, whose jobs we’ve seen finally labelled “essential in the past year,” face wildly variable, unpredictable, and inadequate work schedules. These jobs are often worked by people of color, immigrants, and women, who already face systemic barriers to economic success in the workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic this past year has only worsened these issues of unpredictability and insufficient paychecks. For our communities to return to work as vaccination rates rise and the country settles into its reopened status, workers need advance notice of their work schedules, protection from last minute shift cancellations, sufficient hours, and enough agency over their schedules that they can care for their families. 

Fair Workweek legislation does that. The legislation, modeled after similar laws passed from the state of Oregon to the city of New York, would require employers to provide two weeks notice of scheduled shifts, allow employees to request specific hours without retaliation, and prohibit employers from scheduling less than 11 hours of rest time between shifts. It also guarantees that employees are offered available hours before they’re given to new hires, and that they can collect unemployment benefits if they quit because their employer refuses or fails to comply with the new Fair Workweek requirements.

These protections are especially important for working parents, who left the workforce en masse during the pandemic to care for their children. The labor force has seen a net exodus of 1.8 million women since the start of the pandemic, many of whom left work because they were mothers left without in person childcare. Furthermore, immigrant and BIPOC women have been most heavily impacted by the pandemic and disproportionately work the low-wage jobs in hospitality, restaurant, and retail that are plagued by unstable schedules and fluctuating pay.  It costs workers money, time, and emotional well-being (for them and their children) to rearrange childcare or transportation last minute after a late notice shift change. For workers to return to the workforce, and for unemployment rates for those still looking for work to decline, they need work schedules that give them the predictability to care for their families, transport themselves to work, and pay for their bills and expenses.

Fair scheduling practices have been proven to increase productivity and benefit businesses as well as workers. Employers in other cities and states that have passed fair workweek legislation report fewer absences and late arrivals to work, lowered labor costs, reduced employee turnover, and heightened employee loyalty. When workers know their schedules in advance, they know they can show up -- they’ve secured childcare and arranged transportation, perhaps settled their work schedule for their second job. Businesses can then rely on employees to report to work consistently and on time, leading to fewer losses in revenue and predictable labor costs. This is particularly true for part time workers, many of whom want more hours or full time work. Nearly 1 in 7 women who worked part time in May 2021 wanted full time work. Studies have proven that increasing the hours of these workers -- giving them the schedules they need and request -- can increase productivity by anywhere from 10% to 29%. When workers have stable schedules, they can do their jobs more reliably and do better work. Fair workweek legislation benefits both the working people of Massachusetts and their employers.  

This issue is deeply personal for both of us. At Mass Jobs with Justice, we believe that those closest to the pain should be closest to the power. We are led by and predominantly comprise women of color, and we are rooted in our firsthand experiences of oppression as well as interpersonal and state violence. We are survivors, disabled, immigrants, formerly undocumented, queer and non-binary, first-generation children of immigrants, formerly incarcerated people and deeply rooted in our communities, identities, and experiences. We work towards justice in the “sites of struggle”: the workplace, in the home, and in our communities to build the power of workers. 

My father, an immigrant, has worked in a Chinese restaurant for most of his life. He and my family have felt the impacts of irregular, unpredictable schedules and paychecks. Alicia Fleming, my co-director, herself experienced firsthand the struggles of being a single mother trying to work herself and her son off of public assistance with a restaurant job that scheduled her for midnight closing shifts at the last minute. 

As Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and as individuals, we appeal to you to look favorably upon the Fair Workweek legislation. The working people of Massachusetts should have stability. They should be able to care for themselves and their families. They should have the protections of this legislation. We appreciate the efforts of the sponsors of H. 1974 and S. 1236, and request your support for this vital policy. Thank you for your time.