California Assembly shelves push for work-scheduling notice

Conceding that he lacked the votes, California Assemblyman David Chiu on Thursday shelved a pro-labor measure requiring employers to give their workers at least two weeks’ notice about shifts.

Assembly Bill 357 reflected a focus by unions, in California and nationwide, on what they dub increasingly frenetic and disruptive work schedules. The United Food and Commercial Workers union recently launched an ad campaign charging that sophisticated new scheduling algorithms are making hours less predictable.

But business interests assailed the measure, with the California Chamber of Commerce calling AB 357 an unworkable mandate and branding the measure a “job-killer.”

Chiu, D-San Francisco, pushed through a similar measure while serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, but he could not muster enough support to carry the idea in Sacramento. In deciding to not seek a vote ahead of a Friday deadline, he effectively sidelined the measure until next year.

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 2:12 PM.