New York small business owners should be on their guard.
Similar to how the minimum wage debate intensified for businesses in 2016, it looks like 2017 will deal with the controversial issue of predictive scheduling.
Predictive scheduling laws dictate the conditions in which employers can organize employee shifts and impose penalties on business owners who do not follow these standards.
These laws can require employers to post schedules weeks in advance, provide penalty pay for last-minute scheduling changes and provide additional compensation to workers who have shifts less than 10 hours apart. Many business advocates oppose these laws because it places onerous restrictions and harsh penalties on business owners.
San Francisco was the first city to pass a predictive scheduling law in 2014, and 13 states and Washington D.C. debated legislation in 2016, according to Multistate Insider. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently introduced a package of initiatives that included predictive scheduling that he would like to see approved by the city this year.
The mayor’s proposal would require fast food employers to post schedules two weeks in advance and pay a penalty for last-minute schedule changes, among a few other burdensome rules.
Predictive scheduling bills might be introduced in California, Oregon and Washington D.C. this year as well, according to Bloomberg BNA.
