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Oregon Lawmakers Send 'Predictive Scheduling' Bill To Governor

File photo of the ''Oregon Pioneer'' sculpture that sits atop the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.
Chris Lehman
/
Northwest News Network
File photo of the ''Oregon Pioneer'' sculpture that sits atop the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

Oregon lawmakers have approved the nation's first statewide law on predictable scheduling for employees.

Starting in July of 2018, it would require large employers in the hospitality industry to give workersat least seven days advance notice of which shifts they're working. In three years that lead time increases to two full weeks.

Service industry workers had testified that employers often call them in at the last minute, and threaten their jobs if they don't come.

Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum said the idea is to give low-wage employees more time to plan around their work schedules.

"As a working mom and a business owner, I 100 percent understand how hard it is to balance work and family,” Bynum said.

The measure received bipartisan support, but some opponents said it was too hard on employers. The measure now heads to the governor's desk.

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.