[Excerpt] Alternative work schedules encompass work hours that do not necessarily fall inside the perimeters of the traditional and often rigid 8-hour workday or 40-hour workweek. Such schedules allow working people to earn a paycheck while having the flexibility to take care of children, older relatives and other needs. Examples of such schedules include: limits on mandatory overtime, flexible work day, compressed workweek, shift swap and telecommuting. Changes in the workforce and the economy are making alternative work schedules increasingly important for working families trying to balance jobs and family responsibilities

AFL-CIO Working Women’s Department

Labor Project for Working Families

English

[Excerpt] Alternative work schedules encompass work hours that do not necessarily fall inside the perimeters of the traditional and often rigid 8-hour workday or 40-hour workweek. Such schedules allow working people to earn a paycheck while having the flexibility to take care of children, older relatives and other needs. Examples of such schedules include: limits on mandatory overtime, flexible work day, compressed workweek, shift swap and telecommuting. Changes in the workforce and the economy are making alternative work schedules increasingly important for working families trying to balance jobs and family responsibilities.afl_cio11_ControlOverWorkHours.pdf: 4213 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

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Control Over Work Hours and Alternative Work Schedules

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Labor Unions Key Workplace Documents 
Spring 2001 
Control Over Work Hours and Alternative Work Schedules 
AFL-CIO Working Women’s Department 
Labor Project for Working Families 
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Control Over Work Hours and Alternative Work Schedules 
Abstract 
[Excerpt] Alternative work schedules encompass work hours that do not necessarily fall inside the 
perimeters of the traditional and often rigid 8-hour workday or 40-hour workweek. Such schedules allow 
working people to earn a paycheck while having the flexibility to take care of children, older relatives and 
other needs. Examples of such schedules include: limits on mandatory overtime, flexible work day, 
compressed workweek, shift swap and telecommuting. Changes in the workforce and the economy are 
making alternative work schedules increasingly important for working families trying to balance jobs and 
family responsibilities. 
Keywords 
workforce, worker rights, hours, schedule, child care, AFL-CIO 
Comments 
Suggested Citation 
AFL-CIO Working Women’s Department, Labor Project for Working Families. (2001). Control over work 
hours and alternative work schedules [Electronic version]. Washington, DC: Author. 
Retrieved [insert date] from Cornell University, ILR school site: 
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/laborunions/10/ 
Required Publisher Statement 
Copyright by the AFL-CIO. Document posted with special permission by the copyright holder. 
This article is available at DigitalCommons@ILR: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/laborunions/10 
WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES?
Alternative work schedules encompass work hours
that do not necessarily fall inside the perimeters of
the traditional and often rigid 8-hour workday or 
40-hour workweek. Such schedules allow working
people to earn a paycheck while having the flexibility
to take care of children, older relatives and other
needs. Examples of such schedules include:
 Limits on mandatory overtime,
 Flexible work day,
 Compressed workweek,
 Shift swap and
 Telecommuting.
Changes in the workforce and the economy are 
making alternative work schedules increasingly
important for working families trying to balance 
jobs and family responsibilities.
SOME IMPORTANT FACTS
 More than 1 in 4 working women (28 percent)
work evening or weekend shifts.
 Nearly 1 in 5 full-time workers works nonstan-
dard hours. More than 1 in 3 are women.
 Workers who are pressured into working overtime 
suffer significantly higher rates of alcohol use,
stress and absenteeism.
 Among working parents, 66 percent of fathers
and 51 percent of mothers are unhappy with the
amount of time they dedicate to their children. 
 Some 46 percent of women married or living 
with someone work a different schedule than that
of their spouse or domestic partner.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Before bargaining for alternative work schedules, 
it is important to identify the actual schedule 
needs of the members. This information can be 
gathered through a needs assessment survey or 
in a bargaining survey.
For help, refer to the sample Bargaining Questions 
on Work and Family by the Labor Project for 
Working Families or contact one of the organizations
listed in the Resources section at the end of this 
fact sheet.
CONTRACT LANGUAGE
Below are examples of recently won family-friendly
provisions in union contracts. For actual contract
language or more examples, please contact the 
Labor Project for Working Families (see Resources).  
Limits on Mandatory Overtime
For many working families, being forced to stay 
at work past the regularly scheduled end time can 
be very stressful. Many working parents do not 
have backup arrangements for child care or cannot
afford backup care. Provisions in union contracts
making overtime voluntary protect employees from
this loss of power over their daily schedules.
Contract Example
 Communications Workers of America and 
Verizon Inc.: CWA successfully negotiated a cap 
on mandatory overtime of 7.5 hours per week 
for service reps and 8 hours per week for members
working in the plant. Any voluntary overtime 
is counted toward the buildup of the 7.5- to 
8-hour maximum mandatory amounts.
Control Over Work Hours
AND ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES
B A R G A I N I N G  F A C T  S H E E T
AFL-CIO Working Women’s Department • 815 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 • Phone: 202-637-5064 • Fax: 202-637-6902 • website: www.aflcio.org/women
Labor Project for Working Families •2521 Channing Way #5555 • Berkeley, Calif. 94720 • Phone: 510-643-7088 • Fax: 510-642-6432 • website: http://laborproject.berkeley.edu
Flexible Work Hours
Flextime agreements allow employees to vary the
start and end of their workday as long as each
employee works within a specific range of “core” hours
and works the prescribed number of hours each day or
each week.
Contract Example
 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local
1245 and San Francisco Computer Center Output
Processing: IBEW Local 1245 negotiated a flextime
policy with the employer, which runs a 24-hour-a-
day, seven-day-a-week operation. For first shift,
the workday consists of 7.5 hours, beginning
between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and ending
between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. For second shift,
the workday consists of 7 hours, beginning
between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. and ending
between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. 
Compressed Workweek
Two common examples of this are schedules that
allow workers to work four 10-hour days for an 
extra day off per week or eight 9-hour days and one
8-hour day for an extra day off every two weeks.
Contract Example
 National Treasury Employees Union and U.S. Food
and Drug Administration: NTEU successfully 
negotiated language around compressed work
schedules that gives employees the option to work
nine 9-hour days in a two-week period with every
10th day off or four 10-hour days per week with
one day off. Compressed schedules must be 
within the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Part-time with Benefits
Part-time work can give working people flexibility 
to take care of family needs while still receiving an
income. It is important to maintain benefits when
negotiating for part-time work.  
Contract Example
 UNITE Local 14A and Xerox Corp.: UNITE Local
14A won benefits equal to 50 percent of benefits
of full-time workers for part-time members who
work 20–30 hours per week. Part-time members
who work at least 30 hours per week on a regular
basis receive full benefits. 
Telecommuting
Telecommuting is working from a site other than 
the central worksite, usually at home. Unions tradi-
tionally have opposed telecommuting because work
done at home is difficult to regulate and easily could
become “sweatshop” labor. Another union objection
is that workers who telecommute can become isolat-
ed from one another and are difficult to organize.
However, unions have been successful in bargaining
for telecommuting provisions that benefit workers.
Contract Example
 AFSCME Council 31 and Local 3368 and Clerk of the
Circuit Court of Cook County: AFSCME successfully
negotiated for a work-at-home assignment pilot
program allowing members with infant care needs
to work at home one day per week. The program
is for members with infants less than 1 year old.
Participants in the program are chosen by a labor-
management committee on the basis of hardship.
While participating in the program, members may
work one work day at home each week for up to
six months. The program will not result in any
layoffs or reduction in hours. 
Job Sharing
Under a job-share agreement, two part-time employ-
ees share one full-time job. The two employees
divide the full-time salary between them according
to hours worked. Benefits and seniority often are
prorated according to hours worked, although in
some job-share situations both may receive full bene-
fits and/or seniority. Union contracts can protect
employees’ right to enter into a job-share arrange-
ment and can establish standards for job shares.
Contract Example
 AFSCME Local 2505 and Executive Department of the
State of Oregon: AFSCME Local 2505 bargained with
the State of Oregon to allow any eligible employee
to request approval to participate in job sharing.
Employees sharing a job accrue vacation, sick leave
and holiday pay on a prorated basis. Two employ-
ees sharing a job also are entitled to share health
insurance benefits for one full-time position on a
prorated basis.
Shift Swap
A shift-swap provision in a union contract allows
workers to voluntarily exchange shifts or workdays
to accommodate such family needs as attending
school events or medical appointments. 
Contract Example
 Teamsters Local 445 and St. Luke’s Hospital: IBT
Local 445 in Newburgh, N.Y., bargained with 
St. Luke’s Hospital to allow employees to switch
scheduled work days with other employees 
provided approval of the employer is obtained.
Shorter Workweek
Unions have bargained for shorter workweeks for
their members with full compensation. Some unions
also have used shorter workweek provisions with less
compensation as an alternative to layoffs.
Contract Examples
 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 
Local 1060 and Thomas Industries: IBEW Local
1060 successfully negotiated a shorter workweek,
consisting of three 12-hour days, with the employee
receiving 40 hours of pay. The hours of work are
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All hours worked
on the scheduled days in excess of 12 are volun-
tary only and are paid at time and one half.
 SEIU Local 616 and Alameda County Medical Center:
SEIU Local 616 successfully negotiated a 12-hour
shift program. Full-time staff members work three
12-hour shifts (36 hours) and are compensated for
40 hours of work. Vacation and sick leave accruals
are equivalent to those of full-time employees.
Employees scheduled to work a recognized holi-
day are compensated at time and one half and
receive 12 hours banked holiday in lieu time.
Voluntary Reduced Time
Voluntary reduced time allows an employee to
reduce the number of hours she or he works in a
week in order to have extra time to take care of 
personal or family needs.
Contract Examples
 SEIU Local 715 and Santa Clara County: SEIU 
Local 715 won a voluntary reduced time policy
under which members may request a reduction
in their work hours of 1 percent, 2 percent, 
5 percent or 20 percent. This reduction in hours
may last for up to six months. While working
reduced hours, employees keep their full-time 
status for the purpose of benefits and seniority.
 AFT Local 3695 and the University of Connecticut:
AFT negotiated part-time return to work after 
the birth or adoption of a child. Parents may
work half-time for up to six months and may
request half-time work for up to 12 months; 
leave beyond the first six months is subject 
to management approval. In addition, there 
is six weeks of paid leave for child bearing and 
up to six weeks of paid accrued time for both 
the mother and father without management
approval.  
RESOURCES
AFL-CIO Working Women’s Department
Provides information on issues that face women 
in the workplace.
Website: www.aflcio.org/women 
Phone: 202-637-5064
Labor Project for Working Families
Maintains a national database of family-friendly 
bargaining contract language. Works with unions
and labor-management committees on implement-
ing work and family provisions.
Website: http://laborproject.berkeley.edu
Phone: 510-643-7088
Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
Provides educational tools on a variety of topics of
concern to union women.
Website: www.cluw.org
Phone: 202-223-8360
National Child Care Information Center
A national resource that provides information on child
care and contains links to state child care programs.
Website: www.nccic.org 
Phone: 800-616-2242
The National Council on the Aging
A group of organizations and professionals dedicated
to promoting the dignity, self-determination and
well-being of older persons.
Website: www.ncoa.org/caregiving 
Phone: 202-479-1200 
New Ways to Work
Provides information on flexible and alternative
work schedules to employers and unions. Based in
San Francisco.
Website: www.nww.org 
Phone: 415-995-9860 
UPDATED: SPRING 2001 


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