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Please see http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov for the production version.
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 1Section 1. 103.035 of the statutes is created to read:
AB486,3,3 2103.035 Work schedule flexibility and predictability. (1) Definitions.
3In this section:
AB486,3,64 (a) “Bona fide business reason” means a reason that justifies an employer's
5action and that is based on the employer's determination that taking a different
6action would have any of the following results:
AB486,3,97 1. Additional costs to the employer, including costs of lost employee
8productivity, retaining or hiring employees, or transferring employees between work
9locations.
AB486,4,2
12. A significant detrimental effect on the employer's ability to meet
2organizational needs or customer demand.
AB486,4,43 3. A significant inability of the employer, despite the employer's best efforts,
4to reorganize work among other employees.
AB486,4,55 4. A significant detrimental effect on the employer's business performance.
AB486,4,66 5. Insufficient work during the period an employee proposes to work.
AB486,4,97 6. Unfairness to other employees who request changes to work schedules if
8granting all requests would have a significant detrimental effect on the employer's
9ability to meet organizational needs.
AB486,4,1010 (b) “Child” means an individual who is all of the following:
AB486,4,1211 1. A biological, adopted, or foster child; a stepchild; a legal ward; or a child of
12a person standing in the place of a parent with respect to that child.
AB486,4,1313 2. An individual to whom any of the following applies:
AB486,4,1414 a. The individual is less than 18 years of age.
AB486,4,1615 b. The individual is 18 years of age or older and is incapable of self-care because
16of a mental or physical disability.
AB486,4,1717 (c) “Domestic partner” has the meaning given in s. 40.02 (21c) or 770.01 (1).
AB486,4,1818 (d) “Employee” means an employee who is employed by an employer.
AB486,4,2319 (e) “Employer” means an employer that employs at least 15 employees.
20“Employer” includes the state, its political subdivisions, and any office, department,
21independent agency, authority, institution, association, society, or other body in state
22or local government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any
23law, including the legislature and the courts.
AB486,4,2424 (f) “Family member” means any of the following:
AB486,4,2525 1. A spouse or domestic partner of an employee.
AB486,5,2
12. A parent, child, sibling, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparent, or
2grandchild of an employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic partner.
AB486,5,63 3. Any other individual who is related by blood, marriage, or adoption to an
4employee or to an employee's spouse or domestic partner and whose close association
5with the employee, spouse, or domestic partner makes the individual the equivalent
6of a family member of the employee, spouse, or domestic partner.
AB486,5,77 (g) “Grandchild” means the child of a child.
AB486,5,88 (h) “Grandparent” means the parent of a parent.
AB486,5,119 (i) “Nonexempt employee” means an employee who is not employed in a bona
10fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity, as described in 29 USC 213
11(a) (1).
AB486,5,1412 (j) “Parent” means a biological parent, foster parent, adoptive parent,
13stepparent, or legal guardian of an employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic
14partner.
AB486,5,1615 (k) “Part-time employee” means an employee who works on average fewer than
1630 hours per week for a particular employer.
AB486,5,2117 (L) “Service employee” means a nonexempt employee who is employed in an
18occupation designated by the department under sub. (3) (g) or in any of the
19occupations classified under the following codes set forth in the Standard
20Occupational Classification system, 2018 edition, published by the bureau of labor
21statistics of the U.S. department of labor:
AB486,5,2322 1. Major group code 35-0000 — Food preparation and serving related
23occupations.
AB486,5,2424 2. Broad occupation code 37-2010 — Building cleaning workers.
AB486,6,2
13. Detailed occupation code 41-1011 — First-line supervisors of retail sales
2workers.
AB486,6,33 4. Minor group code 41-2000 — Retail sales workers.
AB486,6,54 (m) “Sibling” means a brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother,
5stepsister, foster brother, or foster sister, whether by blood, marriage, or adoption.
AB486,6,86 (n) “Split shift” means a work shift that consists of work time that is not
7continuous. For purposes of determining whether a work shift is continuous, any of
8the following breaks in work time are not considered:
AB486,6,99 1. One or more breaks for meals that total one hour or less.
AB486,6,1010 2. A break that is requested by the employee.
AB486,6,1311 (o) “Work schedule” means the days and times during each successive work
12period when an employee is required by an employer to perform duties of
13employment.
AB486,6,1514 (p) “Work shift” means the specific times during a day that an employer
15requires an employee to work.
AB486,6,1716 (q) “Written” does not include a communication that is transmitted or received
17by electronic means.
AB486,6,20 18(2) Employee right to request and receive work schedule changes. (a)
19Employee right to request work schedule changes. 1. An employee may request a
20change in the terms and conditions of employment related to any of the following:
AB486,6,2121 a. The number of hours the employee is required to work or be on call for work.
AB486,6,2322 b. The days or times when the employee is required to work or be on call for
23work.
AB486,6,2424 c. The location where the employee is required to work.
AB486,7,2
1d. The amount of notification the employee receives regarding changes to the
2employee's work schedule.
AB486,7,43 e. Minimizing fluctuations in the number of hours the employee is scheduled
4to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
AB486,7,65 2. An employee who makes a request under subd. 1. shall specify in the request
6whether it is related to any of the following:
AB486,7,77 a. A serious health condition, as defined under s. 103.10 (1) (g), of the employee.
AB486,7,118 b. The employee's responsibilities as a significant provider of ongoing care,
9including responsibility for securing ongoing care, of the employee's child, family
10member with a serious health condition, as defined under s. 103.10 (1) (g), or parent
11who is 65 years of age or older.
AB486,7,1312 c. The employee's responsibilities as a significant provider of education,
13including responsibility for securing education, of the employee's child.
AB486,7,1514 d. The employee's enrollment in an educational or training program or program
15of study that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential.
AB486,7,1716 e. If the employee is a part-time employee, conflicts with the employee's other
17employment.
AB486,7,2518 (b) Evaluating requests for work schedule changes. If an employer receives a
19request from an employee under par. (a), the employer shall either grant the request
20without modification or negotiate in good faith with the employee to find a
21compromise that meets the employee's and the employer's work scheduling needs,
22including by considering any alternative proposals offered by the employee. If the
23employer denies the request and any alternative proposals offered, the employer
24shall inform the employee of the reasons for denial, including whether any of the
25reasons is a bona fide business reason.
AB486,8,5
1(c) Requests related to serious health conditions, caregiving, education, or other
2part-time employment.
Notwithstanding par. (b), if an employer receives a request
3from an employee under par. (a) that is directly related to anything specified under
4par. (a) 2., the employer shall grant the request unless the employer has a bona fide
5business reason for denying the request.
AB486,8,106 (d) Verification of reasons for requested changes. If an employer receives a
7request from an employee under par. (a), the employer may require the employee to
8provide additional information to clarify or explain the reasons for the employee's
9requested work schedule change if the employer needs that information to properly
10evaluate the request under par. (b) or (c).
AB486,8,14 11(3) Predictable work schedules for retail, food service, and cleaning
12employees.
(a) Advance notice of work schedules required. 1. On or before the first
13day of work of a new service employee, an employer shall provide the service
14employee with a written copy of the service employee's work schedule.
AB486,8,1815 2. Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), if an employer changes a work
16schedule provided to a service employee under subd. 1. or this subdivision, the
17employer shall provide the service employee with a written copy of the new work
18schedule no later than 14 days before the new work schedule begins.
AB486,8,2019 3. An employer shall post a copy of a work schedule provided under this
20paragraph in at least one of the following ways:
AB486,8,2221 a. In one or more conspicuous places where notices to employees are
22customarily posted.
AB486,8,2323 b. On an Internet site accessible by all of the employer's employees.
AB486,8,2524 4. If an employer changes a work schedule after it is posted under subd. 3., the
25employer shall revise the posted work schedule to reflect those changes.
AB486,9,9
1(b) Employer-initiated changes to work schedules without advance notice. 1.
2An employer may change, without the advance notice required under par. (a) 2., a
3work schedule provided to a service employee under par. (a) 1. or 2. as provided in
4this paragraph. Except as provided under subd. 2., if the employer changes a work
5schedule provided to a service employee under par. (a) 1. or 2. less than 14 days before
6the new work schedule begins, the employer shall provide the service employee
7compensation for the change in an amount equal to the service employee's regular
8rate of pay for one hour of work in addition to any other compensation earned by the
9service employee.
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