Sponsors (21)
The bill meaningfully increases schedule predictability, caregiving accommodation, and enforcement rights for low-wage and caregiving workers, but does so at the cost of notable compliance, administrative, and liability burdens—especially for small businesses—which may reduce hiring or hours and create regulatory uncertainty.
Low-paid and covered-sector workers (retail, food service, cleaning, hospitality, warehouses, transportation) gain more predictable schedules, minimum-hours estimates, advance posting, pay when schedules change, the ability to decline unposted hours, and split-shift premiums—improving income stability and reducing last-minute disruptions.
Workers with caregiving responsibilities and family-care needs (including parents, older parents 65+, and people with disabilities) get clearer legal recognition, expanded covered relationships, stronger procedural rights to request schedule changes, and protections for using leave.
Employees receive protections that reduce unsafe short-turnaround work (ability to refuse shifts with <11 hours between shifts) plus premium pay (time-and-a-half) when they agree to short-interval or burdensome split shifts—supporting rest, safety, and compensation for burdensome schedules.
Small businesses face large new administrative and wage costs—from advance posting, predictability pay, split-shift premiums, recordkeeping, notice/posting requirements, and potential litigation exposure—which may strain budgets and raise prices.
Employers may respond to added costs and liability risk by reducing hiring, cutting posted hours, or limiting scheduling flexibility—potentially reducing total hours available to workers and harming some low-wage employees.
The Act increases litigation and enforcement risk (private suits, civil penalties per violation, per-day fines for late schedule posting), creating financial exposure for employers and potential costs for public enforcement resources.
Based on analysis of 13 sections of legislative text.
Requires many employers to give 14‑day written schedules, pay premiums for late changes and short‑rest shifts, allow schedule‑change requests, and strengthens enforcement and data collection.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Elizabeth Warren · Last progress December 17, 2025
Creates new worker protections to make schedules more predictable and give employees a clearer process to request schedule changes. Employers in specified sectors must provide written advance schedules (generally 14 days), estimate minimum monthly hours, pay extra when schedules change late or shorten shifts, and allow employees to decline short‑rest shifts without penalty. The Department of Labor will run education, research, pilot programs, and enforcement, and employees gain a private right of action and administrative remedies for violations.