Schedules That Work Act
Sponsored By: Senator Elizabeth Warren
Introduced
Summary
Stable, predictable work schedules. This bill would create a statutory right for many hourly workers to request predictable hours, require 14 days' advance schedules or pay when schedules change, and set minimum rest and pay protections.
Show full summary
- Workers and families: Covered employees in retail, food service, hospitality, cleaning, and warehouses would get a right to request schedule changes and must be given 14 days' notice or receive predictability pay. The bill also guarantees an 11-hour rest period between shifts and stronger protections for caregiving, health, education, and second-job needs.
- Employers and workplaces: Employers with 15 or more employees would have to engage in a timely, good-faith interactive process, conspicuously post schedules, itemize predictability and split-shift pay on pay stubs, and face $75 per day penalties for failing to provide required advance notice plus civil penalties for willful violations.
- Government, data, and pilots: The Secretary of Labor would write rules and may designate additional occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census must add scheduling questions to major surveys and the bill requires pilot programs, technical assistance, and outreach to test and spread predictable-scheduling practices.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
8 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
Employee lawsuits for schedule violations
If enacted, employees could sue for violations of scheduling rights. You would be able to recover lost pay, benefits, and interest. Courts could also award extra liquidated damages equal to lost pay plus interest unless the court waives them for employer good faith. Suits would generally be filed within 2 years, or 3 years for willful violations.
Advance notice and predictability pay
If enacted, covered employees would receive posted work schedules at least 14 days before they start; new hires would get a schedule by their first day. Employers who fail to give required advance notice would pay each affected employee $75 per day. Last‑minute schedule changes (less than 14 days' notice) would trigger predictability pay: an extra hour at your regular rate when hours are added or date/time/location changes without reducing hours, or at least half your regular rate for each scheduled hour canceled or reduced.
Right to 11-hour rest and extra pay
If enacted, covered employees could decline shifts that start less than 11 hours after their prior shift. Employees may give written consent to work with less rest and may revoke that consent. If you work a shift that violates the 11‑hour rest rule, the employer would pay 1.5 times your scheduled rate for those hours.
Right to request schedule changes
If enacted, employees could request changes to hours, on‑call status, shift times, work location, or reduced hour volatility. Employers would need to engage in a timely, good‑faith interactive process and either grant or give a written denial stating bona fide business reasons. Requests tied to serious health conditions, caregiving, career training, or another job generally would have to be granted unless the employer shows a bona fide business reason.
DOL enforcement and employer fines
If enacted, the Labor Department would get inspection and subpoena powers to enforce the bill and could require employers to keep records. The Secretary would normally ask for records no more than once every 12 months unless there is cause. Employers who willfully fail to post the required worker notice could be fined up to $100 per offense. Willful and repeated violations could trigger civil fines of $500–$1,000 per scheduling violation and $1,100–$5,000 per retaliation/interference violation.
Which employers and jobs are covered
If enacted, an employer would be "covered" if it has 15 or more employees, counting full‑, part‑time, and temporary workers (you may use last year's average if numbers fluctuate). Covered sector employees would include nonexempt workers in hospitality, warehouses, and specified retail, food service, and cleaning occupations. The Labor Secretary would write rules within 180 days to add occupations if at least 10% of workers in an occupation usually get less than 14 days' notice or have frequent schedule fluctuations.
Pilots, data, and schedule research
If enacted, the Labor Department would run pilots and offer technical help testing fairer scheduling ideas like longer notice, minimum‑hour guarantees, and cross‑training. The Census and BLS would add questions on schedule notice, hour fluctuations, and employee input to regular surveys to better measure schedule instability.
Union waivers and state law protection
If enacted, a valid collective bargaining agreement that includes scheduling terms and expressly waives this bill would keep its scheduling rules and exempt those employees. The bill would also say it sets minimum standards and would not override State or local laws that give workers stronger protections.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Elizabeth Warren
MA • D
Cosponsors
Richard Blumenthal
CT • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Chris Van Hollen
MD • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Tammy Baldwin
WI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Richard Durbin
IL • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
John Reed
RI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Cory Booker
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Edward Markey
MA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Bernie Sanders
VT • I
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Sheldon Whitehouse
RI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Christopher Murphy
CT • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Tammy Duckworth
IL • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Peter Welch
VT • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Charles Schumer
NY • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Mazie Hirono
HI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Jeff Merkley
OR • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Ron Wyden
OR • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Patty Murray
WA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Alex Padilla
CA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
John Fetterman
PA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govTake It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in