Leave workers’ schedules out of government hands

Running a business is tough work. Making decisions for the business community from an office in City Hall is easy, by comparison. However, we must restrain the heavy hand of government when actions taken with good intentions are actually detrimental to businesses, employees and the community alike. Inspired by the Marriott workers’ strike, the Boston City Council is now looking to regulate the scheduling hours of any contractor doing business with the city of Boston. The “Fair workweek” bill would require businesses under contract with the city to give employees 14 days notice on their work schedules. Any late changes would result in extra compensation for employees. This measure would be deleterious to those in the food service industry because the demands on a restaurant or caterer are fluid and often unpredictable. At a City Council hearing, executives including Bob Luz, president and CEO of Massachusetts Restaurant Association, argued that employer flexibility is essential. “Restaurants need to be very flexible to meet the demands of their customers, of their customer base,” Luz said. Luz added that “restaurants routinely take action without mandates, to meet team member needs.” Ryan Kearney, general counsel for the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said his organization was “concerned about the impact that the mandate will have on Boston’s taxpayers, who ultimately will be held at bail to pay for these increased costs on city employees and contracts. “RAM strongly opposes this proposal, which will significantly impact businesses by interfering with existing employer/employee relationships,” he said. The spirit of the initiative is laudable: to give workers more stability in their work schedules and thus more stability in their lives. Unfortunately, in practice it simply does not conform to the realities at play. Undoubtedly, a resolution will avail itself organically. The marketplace will evolve to cater to the needs of all parties.