The New York Attorney General’s Office has asked Framingham-based TJX Companies, Inc., and a dozen other national retailers whether they require employees to be available for work with as little as a few hours’ notice.
In a letter to the retailers, including Target, Sears and TJX — the parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods — Terri Gerstein, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s Labor Bureau chief, questioned whether their employees work so-called “on-call shifts” requiring them to check if they’re needed by phone, text or email the night before or only a few hours in advance of their designated shift.
“For many workers, that is too little time to make arrangements for family needs, let alone to find an alternative source of income to compensate for the lost pay” on days they are not needed, Gerstein wrote.
TJX spokeswoman Doreen Thompson yesterday said the company does not use on-call scheduling, and managers “work to develop schedules that serve the needs of both our associates and our company.”
Chris Brathwaite, a spokesman for Sears Holdings Corp., said the company does not use on-call scheduling. And Target spokesman Evan Lapiska said schedules can be reviewed remotely 10 days before the start of a work week.
Grant Woodman, a spokesman for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, said her office was aware of the letter and was “reaching out to” Schneiderman’s office.
“We have some concerns about any practice that would result in employees not being paid for their time,” Woodman said. “We will continue to review this issue and determine the appropriate response.”
