New Oregon law impacts employee scheduling in stores

Oregon has become the first state in the nation to pass legislation that puts an end to on-call scheduling by guaranteeing hourly employees advance notice of their work schedules.



Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed into law the Fair Work Week Act, which imposes predictive scheduling requirements on large employers in certain industries, including retail and food service. Most provisions of the law will take effect on July 1, 2018.



The Oregon legislation comes on the heels of similar measures that have been enacted in such major cities as New York, Seattle, and San Francisco.



The law applies to Oregon employers that employ 500 or more employees worldwide who provide services relating to “retail trade,” “hotels,” “motels,” or “food services." It requires these employers to give hourly workers at least seven days advance notice of their work shifts. In three years, the lead time is extended to 14 days.



Employers also have to pay additional compensation for any violation of the advance notice requirement (to be calculated based on the type of schedule change) and provide a minimum of 10 hours of rest between shifts, or pay the employee time and a half.



For more on the bill, click here.