Martha Marx

LEGISLATION TO FIGHT WORKER BURNOUT INTRODUCED BY STATE SEN. MARX APPROVED BY LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES COMMITTEE

Intended to counter worker burnout in a number of industries, legislation introduced to the General Assembly this year by State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) that seeks to ensure workers cannot be compelled to work more than six days in a row by an employer was approved by the Labor and Public Employees Committee. With this vote of approval, the legislation will now move to the Senate floor for further consideration.

Senate Bill 489, “An Act Limiting The Days An Employer Can Mandate An Employee To Work,” seeks to amend state statutes and prohibit an employer from mandating an employee to work more than six consecutive days without a day off during a seven-day week. It largely changes language in state statutes away from the “work week” and toward traditional calendar weeks.

Sen. Marx introduced the legislation based on conversations she has had with workers and her own experience as a nurse where the use of “work week” in statute allowed workers to be scheduled 12 days in a row – for instance, during a “work week” of Sunday to Saturday, being placed on a schedule from Monday to Saturday one week, then from Sunday to Friday the next. A worker who wishes to work more than six days in a seven-day week will be allowed to do so; this bill seeks to prevent mandatory consecutive days of work.

“This bill seeks to make a simple change to state statutes that gives workers more power, and I’m encouraged by its passage through this important committee,” said Sen. Marx. “By making this simple fix, this bill will make sure the letter of the law matches intent; if it becomes law, it will provide relief to workers across the state.”

“I don’t think anyone ever envisioned interpreting this statute as allowing people to work up to 12 days continuously without a day off. Now we’re going to fix that,” said state Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury), who is a co-sponsor of the bill and Senate Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee.

The Department of Labor and OSHA report that long work hours without breaks can correlate with increased risk of injuries and accidents on the job. They can contribute to poor worker health, increased stress and worker fatigue.

A similar bill passed in Illinois last year; the “One Day Rest In Seven Act” requires employers to provide workers with one day of rest in every seven day period through the same change as introduced by this bill.