Fight for fair work scheduling returns to Maine Legislature

“Say you work at a national retail chain,” Arthur Phillips, a MECEP policy analyst, posed a hypothetical to lawmakers. “Last week, you worked the closing shift on a Sunday, an opening shift on a Monday, a half shift from 11 to 3 on Wednesday and a double shift on Friday. And the week before you were only given two shifts, one Saturday and one Wednesday, neither of them a full eight hours. Today, you’re waiting to see what your schedule is going to be over the next week. But your boss has told you you need to be available even on the days you’re not scheduled just in case you’re needed.”

He continued, “In this situation, you can understand that it would be extremely difficult to juggle responsibilities outside of work, let alone seek another job or enroll in school to improve your prospects. And it puts tremendous stress on parents and is linked to behavioral problems and worse performance in school for children and toddlers whose mothers work irregular hours.”

Click here to read the full article, first published April 10, 2023 in Beacon.