New initiative would force San Jose employers to offer more hours to part-timers before hiring
additional staff
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2016/01/25/new-initiative-would-force-san-jose-employers-to.html
San Jose employers who want to add to their staff might first have to offer additional hours to existing part-time workers if backers of a new initiative get their way.
Silicon Valley Rising filed formal paperwork on Monday for what they're calling the "opportunity to work" initiative, which could appear on the November ballot in San Jose. The initiative is designed to combat what advocates say is a growing trend of employers relying more and more on part-time workers, rather than more expensive full-timers.
"What’s been happening in the modern economy is a dramatic increase in the use of part time work," said Bob Brownstein of Working Partnerships USA, a labor-aligned think tank. "The economy is not generating those kind of jobs for people who want and need to be working full time."
The San Jose initiative is part of a growing number of grassroots "raise the floor" initiatives, often supported by labor groups, to combat what proponents say is growing income inequality and slow-moving government regulation as the nation's labor market experiences fundamental changes. Other examples include local minimum-wage increases, increased minimum requirements for paid sick leave and time off for caregiving, and standards for predictable work hours and scheduling.