Who must post the Seattle, WA Secure Scheduling Ordinance poster?
Hourly employees who work in Seattle, WA, at large food services and retail establishments located within Seattle city limits are protected by the Seattle Secure Scheduling Ordinance. The Ordinance’s purpose is to ensure work-life and economic stability by requiring employers to provide their Seattle-based employees with secure schedules, premium pay for scheduling changes, and opportunity to work any additional work hours that are available before hiring external employees.
Employers are required to display the Secure Scheduling workplace poster in a conspicuous and accessible place at the worksite to inform employees of their rights and responsibilities under the Ordinance. Employers must display the poster in English and the employees’ primary language(s).
Who is covered by the Seattle, WA Secure Scheduling Ordinance?
The Seattle, WA Secure Scheduling Ordinance applies to:
- Employees that work for a covered employer at least 50% of the time within City limits.
- Retail and food service establishments with 500+ employees worldwide.
- Full-service restaurants with 500+ employees and 40+ full-service restaurant locations worldwide.
What does the Seattle, WA Secure Scheduling Ordinance require of employers?
The Ordinance requires employers to:
- Provide a good faith estimate of the median hours an new employee can expect to work per week.
- Post employee’s work schedule two weeks (14 days) in advance.
- Engage in an interactive process to discuss employees’ schedule requests.
- Grant schedule requests related to a “major life event” (transportation, housing, other jobs, education, caregiving and serious medical condition).
- Keep from “clopening” (scheduling shifts separated by less than 10 hours). Pay time and a half for clopening shifts requested by employee.
- Give employees notice of additional work hours by:
- posting notice of availability of additional hours 3 days before the additional hours commence;
- a form of mass communication that informs all employees of the availability of additional hours; or
- offering additional hours to an employee in person, to cover for a scheduled employee who is not able to work.
- Pay a premium for schedule changes (pay 1 hour extra when hours are added, pay for half of the hours when hours are subtracted).
- Exceptions to premium pay: 15 minute additions or subtractions, employee shift swaps, disciplinary subtractions, and business interruptions.
Under the Ordinance, employers are prohibited from:
- retaliating against an employee for exercising their rights to decline unscheduled hours, inquire about their legal rights, cooperate in an investigation or proceeding for violations of the law, file a complaint with the City or a civil action, or exercise any other protected right under the Ordinance; or
- making an implied or express assertion of a willingness to report, suspected citizenship or immigration status of an employee or a family member of the employee to a federal, state, or local agency because the employee has exercised a right under the Ordinance.