Hipster retailer Urban Outfitters is ditching on-call shifts in the midst of criticism and legal pressure, particularly in New York. The company announcement makes official what New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he had gotten the chain to agree to three weeks ago.
Urban Outfitters, which is renowned for bohemian attire and quirky accessories, is following in the footsteps of Abercrombie, GAP, J. Crew and Victoria's Secret, all of which have announced similar policy changes in recent months after being pressured by an investigation by Schneiderman into whether their policies were breaking state law.
New York law requires employers to pay workers for a shift at least four hours of wages, a requirement that most businesses using on-call systems likely are not complying with.
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"We are always looking for ways to improve, and as such we have decided to end on-call scheduling for all brand associates throughout North America," Urban Outfitters said in a statement.
The change announced by Urban Outfitters will affects other brands owned by the company, including Anthropologie and Free People.
In his statement three weeks ago, Schneiderman said the retailer agreed to provide workers with their schedules at least a week in advance.
"Workers deserve basic protections, including a reliable work schedule that allows them to budget living expenses, arrange for childcare needs, and plan their days."
However, Urban Outfitters is also under pressure to appear worker-friendly after an email leaked to Gawker showed the company was asking salaried employees to volunteer their time (with no pay) on the weekends to prepare packages for wholesale customers, a task that it billed as a team-building activity.
In an email to Gawker, Urban said that it had rejected the help of many hourly employees to volunteer because of work regulations.
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