WHEREAS, Working parents’ and caregivers’ schedules serve as a backbone to the stability of children’s lives and the provision of childcare services; and
WHEREAS, The scheduling of children’s medical appointments and the availability of after school care shape the parental work week; and
WHEREAS, The National Women’s Law Center notes that, since women make up the majority of workers in low-wage jobs and shoulder the majority of caregiving responsibilities, working conditions and scheduling practices can especially compromise access to high-quality childcare services as well as negatively impact family life; and
WHEREAS, Research by Professor Kristen Harknett of the University of Pennsylvania and Professor Daniel Schneider of the University of California at Berkeley shows that unstable and unpredictable work schedules are associated with a range of negative outcomes for workers and their families including worse mental and physical health, more parenting stress, and less time with children; and
WHEREAS, Research from the Economic Policy Institute indicates that children of parents working non-standard and unpredictable schedules are more likely to have decreased cognitive and behavioral outcomes; and
WHEREAS, In a survey of restaurant workers, the National Women’s Law Center found that two out of five women reported having last-minute shift changes that impacted child care, and nearly a third of workers reported that they had been required to stay past the end of a scheduled shift and consequently paid fines to child care providers for picking their children up late. Income volatility also left some of these employees without enough money to secure any consistent child care; and
WHEREAS, The service sector makes up nearly 20 percent of Philadelphia’s local economy, with over 64,000 people working in recreation, accommodation, and food services, and over 68,000 working in retail sales occupations, industries with the highest incidence of unpredictable schedules and involuntary part-time employment; and
WHEREAS, Research by Professor Lonnie Golden of Pennsylvania State University indicates that, nationally, the lowest income workers face the most irregular schedules and that 43 percent of part-time workers were underemployed (worked fewer hours than they needed to support themselves); and
WHEREAS, The ability of parents and guardians to become actively involved in their children’s education and schooling through such activities as helping with homework, participating in IEP team meetings, attending parent-teacher conferences, and participating in Home and School activities are threatened by unpredictable work hours; and
WHEREAS, Addressing unstable work schedules is an essential tool in combating poverty and improving the health and wellbeing of families; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Authorizes the Committee on Children and Youth to conduct hearings regarding the impact of unpredictable and inadequate work hours on the wellbeing of families, and examining the impact of unstable work weeks on children and caregivers.
End