BA 2410 MOD 4 ASSN
Note: this is a sample letter and cannot be used as a topic for the Project
First Last Name (put your name in)
3516 Sun Valley Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
September 24, 2014
Representative First Last Name (put the actual name in)
1300 South Harrison Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Dear Representative First Last Name,
First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I write this letter in hopes to
increase your awareness of the Schedules That Work Act (H.R. 5159) and hope that you will
support it. The Schedules That Work Act (STWA) would help many Hoosier’s have a better
chance when it comes to work schedules and being protected when asking for more notice when
receiving schedules. The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
that in August of 2014, 17.8 million Americans work part-time (Economic News Release). This
Act would help ease the stress that is already pushed on part-time workers and make it easier for
them to work other part-time jobs and/or schedule other needs (e.g. doctors appointments,
daycare, illnesses, and education).
Enacting the STWA would provide employees with a two-week advance notice of work
schedules. Most of the part-time jobs are in retail, fast food, and cleaning. I used to work part
time for a liquor store where I was at the will of the manager when it came to when I would
work. With being a college student, working a schedule that interfered with my studies would
not work. For some time I just had to juggle the demands of work and school. Lucky for me,
after some time I was able to find a job at school that fit my schedule and left me more time for
my studies, but most people are not as lucky as me to have another option.
Other students have this same problem working and not being able to get notification about
schedule changes before it is too late. Not having any power or say in the creating of the
schedule, hampers workers desire to work in a place that does not consider that there employees
have a life outside the business. The STWA would not just help students that are working part-
time and pursuing more education, but also help everyone working part-time in the country. A
person that has a family needs to know when they will have to work to schedule their life around
work. This should not be the case. Businesses should put the needs of the worker before work
when making a schedule.
The STWA would require “the employer to grant a request because of health conditions, having
responsibilities as a caregiver, enrollment in a career-related educational or training program or if
the part-time employee request a change for a reason related to a second job” (congress.gov). I
know as a student worker having more set schedules and being able to know when I work makes
it easier not only on me but my family and friends.
This Act will help millions of people in America in balancing of their work and private life’s.
Workers should not be punished when asking for clearer scheduling guide lines. Workers cannot
always be having their schedule being changed and varying month to month. It makes it very
hard on a person to budget when your schedule is not consistent or cannot be given notice of
what the future work week(s) will look like. Part-time workers now more than ever need a more
stable footing comparable to their full-time counterparts.
The way people work and the way that the work force has changed in America has not happened
over night. Workers require more forward knowledge of what the work week could look like.
Part-time workers are sometimes called at a moments notice when employees don’t come in or
someone leaves because of scheduling problems. The STWA will help many working families
with unpredictable and unstable scheduling practices that harm not only families but also the
work place productivity.
This Act would provide employees with the right to request a schedule change without fear of
punishment. The Act would also create a way that workers who need a schedule change due to
having responsibility as a caregiver, pursuing more education, working a second job, or to take
care of one’s own health. The Act is a way to ease work place stress along with making it more
likely that a worker stays.
Changing the way that a business schedules a worker is not only good for workers, but it is also
beneficial to employers. I know personally with my time at the liquor store, more people had to
quit because of scheduling problems and little if not any notice of changes to the schedule. Being
more flexible and understanding of people and their private lives makes employees more eager to
help when help is needed.
Working in the liquor store taught me a couple of things; schedules don’t get changed and
working part-time with no set schedule is no fun. I urge you to vote “yea” for the Schedules That
Work Act. Not only does this Act give part-time workers a fair say in their schedules, but also
this is something that is right and that all working people should have.
Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read my letter and to take
my thoughts into considerations when deciding how to vote.
Again thank you
Sincerely,
First Last Name
3516 Sun Valley Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
Email: name@indianatech.net
References
United States Department of Labor. (2014). Economic News Release.
Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t08.htm
Congress.gov. (2014). H.R.5159 - Schedules That Work Act.
Retrieved from: https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/5159