Connecticut Bill Seeks Stable Schedules for Hourly Workers

0:00It's March 27th. Welcome in. This is Hartford News today, where local news meets AI. A new bill in Connecticut aims to give hourly workers more predictable schedules. Senate Bill 436 would require employers in retail, hospitality, chain restaurants, and long-term care facilities to provide written schedules two weeks ahead. Sponsored by Senate leaders Martin Looney and Martha Marks, it also mandates considering employees preferred hours before hiring new staff. The proposal bans on-call shifts and includes penalties for last-minute changes, like paying half an employee's regular rate for cancelled or cut hours. It advanced out of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, and now heads to the full Senate for a vote after similar ideas failed in past sessions. Workers and advocates say unstable schedules make child care, doctor visits, and family time a nightmare, leading to stress and financial struggles. Groups like the Working Families Party highlight how it traps parents and part-time jobs

1:01without benefits, hurting families and even qualifying for aid, programs. Business groups push back hard, arguing the rules ignore the ups and downs of restaurants and hotels, where demand shifts with weather, events, or no shows. Leaders from the Restaurant and Hospitality Association and Business and Industry Association warn it could burden small operators with fines, lawsuits, and less hiring. As Connecticut tackles worker shortages in rising costs, this fight over schedule and flexibility shows no signs of cooling with both sides digging in for the Senate Debate ahead.