The Effects of the Emeryville Fair Workweek Ordinance on the Daily Lives of Low-Wage Workers and their Families
Posted: 5/13/2019 (CSDE Seminar Series)
Anna Gassman-Pines, Associate Professor at the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, will present of the effects of the Fair Workweek Ordinance (FWO) implemented by Emeryville, CA in 2017. The policy aimed to reduce workers’ schedule unpredictability by requiring large retail and food service employers to provide advanced notice of schedules and to compensate workers for last-minute schedule changes. From a sample of working parents with young children (N = 96; 50% working in regulated businesses), this study gathered daily reports of work schedule unpredictability and worker and family well-being over three waves: one prior to the implementation of the FWO, one during the early “soft launch” of the FWO, and one during the FWO’s full implementation. Results show that the FWO succeeded in decreasing schedule unpredictability that working parents experience and improved parents’ well-being. In particular, the FWO reduced instances of unexpected changes in work hours and in last-minute work-schedule changes. However, results also show that the FWO decreased parents’ average weekly work hours. This study provides the first evidence on the effect of a secure schedule policy, a new type of labor policy being implemented or considered in cities across the country, on working parents.
Date: 05/17/2019
Time: 12:30-1:30 PM
Location: 121 Raitt Hall