CONTACT: Bailey Dick, bailey [at] jwj.org
October 28, 2015
Washington, D.C. — This afternoon, Urban Outfitters became the latest in a series of retailers to announce that it would end the use of “on-call” scheduling practices in its stores across the country. Earlier this month, Urban Outfitters, which also owns Anthropologie and Free people, announced the end of on-call scheduling for employees in New York, but not in other stores across the country.
While Urban Outfitters’ initial decision to comply with labor laws on the books in New York was heartening, thousands of employees in the rest of the country were still subject to the reality of unfair scheduling practices: the inability to budget, arrange child or elder care, pursue further education or job training, or hold down a second job to make ends meet.
In response, more than 4,000 people from Jobs With Justice’s national network sent emails directly to Urban Outfitters’ president and CEO Richard Hayne and North American brand president Trish Donnelly over the past week, personally asking them to end on-call schedules in all of its stores once and for all.
Today’s announcement is a heartening move by yet another retail company to end an abusive scheduling practices. Along with companies like Gap, Inc., J. Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch and Bath & Body Works, cities like Washington, D.C. and San Francisco have taken steps to make schedules more just for all retail employees.
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