AB486: Bill Text

LRB-0266/1

JAM:cdc

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly BILL 486

August 4, 2021 - Introduced by Representatives Hebl, Anderson, Conley, Hesselbein, Hong, Ohnstad, Pope, Shelton, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Stubbs and Subeck, cosponsored by Senators Roys, Agard, Larson, Johnson and Smith. Referred to Committee on Labor and Integrated Employment.

AB486,1,4 An Act to amend 111.322 (2m) (a) and 111.322 (2m) (b); and to create 103.035 of the statutes; relating to: the rights of employees to request and receive work schedule changes; predictable work schedules for retail, food service, and cleaning employees; granting rule-making authority; and providing a penalty.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill provides that an employee who works for an employer, including the state and political subdivision employers, that employs at least 15 employees (employer) has the right to request and receive changes to the employee's work schedule under certain circumstances. The bill also provides rights regarding work scheduling for employees in certain retail, food service, or cleaning occupations, or other occupations designated by the Department of Workforce Development.

Employee right to request and receive work schedule changes

The bill requires an employer must negotiate in good faith with an employee to accommodate requested changes to the employee's work schedule. Further, unless an employer has a bona fide business reason for denying the request, the employer must approve an employee's request if it is directly related to any of the following:

1. A serious health condition of the employee.

2. Responsibilities of the employee as a caregiver for a family member.

3. Enrollment of the employee in certain educational or training programs.

4. A part-time employee's work scheduling conflicts with the employee's other employment.

If an employer denies an employee's request for a schedule change, the employer must inform the employee of the reasons for denial, including whether any of the reasons is a bona fide business reason as defined in the bill.

Service employee right to predictable work schedule

The bill requires an employer that employs an employee in certain retail, food service, or cleaning occupations (service employee) to provide the service employee with a written copy of the service employee's work schedule on or before the service employee's first day of work. With certain exceptions, if an employer changes a service employee's work schedule, the employer must provide the new work schedule to the service employee at least 14 days in advance.

The bill also requires that if an employer changes a service employee's work schedule with fewer than 14 days' advance notice, the employer must pay the service employee an amount equal to the service employee's regular rate of pay for one hour of work. Exceptions to this requirement include when the service employee consents to the change or when the employer requires the service employee to work additional time because another service employee was scheduled to work that time and is unexpectedly unavailable to do so.

The bill requires that if an employer uses certain scheduling practices, the employer must compensate a service employee as follows:

1. If the service employee reports to work and the employer does not allow the service employee to work all time scheduled, the employer shall provide the service employee with: 1) full compensation as if the employee had worked the full shift; or 2) if the service employee is scheduled to work more than four hours and works less than four hours, an amount equal to the service employee's regular rate of pay for the difference between four hours and the amount of time the service employee actually works.

2. If the employer requires the service employee to contact the employer, or wait to be contacted by the employer, less than 24 hours before a work shift to determine whether the service employee must report to work, the employer must pay the service employee an amount equal to the service employee's regular rate of pay for one hour of work.

3. If the employer requires the service employee to work a split shift, the employer must pay the service employee an amount equal to the service employee's regular rate of pay for one hour of work.

If a service employee experiences more than one type of these scheduling practices with respect to a particular work shift, the employer must pay only one type of compensation, whichever is greatest.

The bill also provides that, during any period in which the employer's regular operations are suspended due to an event outside of the employer's control, the employer is not required to comply with the service employee work scheduling requirements created in the bill.

The bill authorizes DWD to promulgate rules to apply the protections afforded under the bill to additional occupations if DWD determines that at least 10 percent of the individuals employed in an occupation either typically receive notice of changes to their work schedules less than 14 days before the changes take effect or regularly experience fluctuations in the number of hours the individuals are scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Enforcement

The bill provides that an employer may not interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of the right of an employee created in the bill and may not discharge or discriminate against an employee for enforcing the employee's rights under the bill. An employee whose rights are violated may file a complaint with DWD, and DWD must process the complaint in the same manner that employment discrimination complaints are processed under current law. That processing may include the ordering of back pay, reinstatement, compensation in lieu of reinstatement, and costs and attorney fees.

The bill also provides that DWD or an employee whose rights are violated may bring an action in circuit court against the employer without regard to exhaustion of any administrative remedy. If the circuit court finds that a violation has occurred, the employer may be liable to the employee for compensatory damages, reasonable attorney fees and costs, and, under certain circumstances, liquidated damages equal to 100 percent of the amount of compensatory damages awarded to the employee. In addition to any damages imposed on an employer in an administrative proceeding or circuit court action, an employer that willfully violates the protections created in the bill may be required to forfeit not more than $1,000 for each violation.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB486,1 Section 1. 103.035 of the statutes is created to read:

AB486,3,3 103.035 Work schedule flexibility and predictability. (1) Definitions. In this section:

AB486,3,6 (a) “Bona fide business reason” means a reason that justifies an employer's action and that is based on the employer's determination that taking a different action would have any of the following results:

AB486,3,9 1. Additional costs to the employer, including costs of lost employee productivity, retaining or hiring employees, or transferring employees between work locations.

AB486,4,2 2. A significant detrimental effect on the employer's ability to meet organizational needs or customer demand.

AB486,4,4 3. A significant inability of the employer, despite the employer's best efforts, to reorganize work among other employees.

AB486,4,5 4. A significant detrimental effect on the employer's business performance.

AB486,4,6 5. Insufficient work during the period an employee proposes to work.

AB486,4,9 6. Unfairness to other employees who request changes to work schedules if granting all requests would have a significant detrimental effect on the employer's ability to meet organizational needs.

AB486,4,10 (b) “Child” means an individual who is all of the following:

AB486,4,12 1. A biological, adopted, or foster child; a stepchild; a legal ward; or a child of a person standing in the place of a parent with respect to that child.

AB486,4,13 2. An individual to whom any of the following applies:

AB486,4,14 a. The individual is less than 18 years of age.

AB486,4,16 b. The individual is 18 years of age or older and is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.

AB486,4,17 (c) “Domestic partner” has the meaning given in s. 40.02 (21c) or 770.01 (1).

AB486,4,18 (d) “Employee” means an employee who is employed by an employer.

AB486,4,23 (e) “Employer” means an employer that employs at least 15 employees. “Employer” includes the state, its political subdivisions, and any office, department, independent agency, authority, institution, association, society, or other body in state or local government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, including the legislature and the courts.

AB486,4,24 (f) “Family member” means any of the following: