San Francisco OKs 'Bill of Rights' for Retail Workers

San Francisco has moved to help workers stymied by uncertain schedules: Under what's being called the "Retail Workers Bill of Rights," employers must solidify their employees' shifts at least two weeks in advance—or pay their workers extra in the form of "predictability pay," Politico reports. The idea behind the measure: When workers don't know their shifts until the last minute, it can be tough to work an additional job, care for kids, or take classes. What's more, "some weeks you're getting 10 hours and others you're getting 25. It's very hard to figure out what you're doing in terms of family income," says an advocate.

"There are too many workers and families struggling in low-wage jobs with unpredictable shifts," says a member of the city's Board of Supervisors, which passed the measure unanimously. The measure doesn't apply to local mom-and-pop shops, the Huffington Post notes; instead, it's aimed at retail and food shops that have at least 11 locations across the country. And while a similar federal proposal is unlikely to pass, locals are hoping their move will catch on. "There are a lot of eyes on San Francisco now," the advocate says. "People are wondering if we can bring this citywide, and then to the state level, and then around the country." (More San Francisco stories.)