FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2015
CONTACT: Liz Cattaneo, liz@jwj.org
San Francisco – Today, San-Francisco-based retailer Gap, Inc. announced it would phase out on-call scheduling for its employees at all 2,500 of its brand stores nationwide by September. The company’s move comes as outrage grows over the turbulence families experience as a result of the rise of inflexible and erratic schedules instituted by employers. Jobs With Justice San Francisco Executive Director Gordon Mar – who led the coalition that successfully advocated for landmark fair scheduling legislation in San Francisco last year issued the following statement:
“Gap did the right thing by listening to its employees and advocates, and instituting reforms to ensure more people will be able to lead more predictable, and ultimately better lives. Erratic, inconsistent schedules create massive stresses on the women and men who work in most retail stores today because their employers grant them too few hours, assign schedules that can change at a moment’s notice, or keep them on call without being able to guarantee them paid hours. That’s why we pressed for commonsense reforms with the Retail Workers Bill of Rights to discourage companies from implementing last-minute schedule changes and abusive on-call shifts.
“Other large corporations need to follow Gap’s lead and put a stop to unsustainable schedules that are wreaking havoc on their employees’ lives. Until they do, working people, community and labor advocates will continue to press for family-friendly scheduling standards that ensure more people have job schedules with enough hours to plan their lives and take care of their loved ones.”
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This is wonderful. Now I can feel better about buying my back-to school clothes at Old Navy clearance!