Contributors

Ryan D. Evans

Principal

Effective July 1, 2025, Los Angeles County’s Fair Workweek Ordinance will impose new scheduling mandates on large retail employers operating in unincorporated areas of the county. Covered employers—those with 300 or more employees globally—must provide good-faith estimates of work schedules at hire, post finalized schedules at least 14 days in advance, and offer additional hours to current employees before hiring externally. The ordinance also requires a 10-hour rest period between shifts and imposes “predictability pay” for last-minute changes. Though more straightforward than many complex wage-and-hour regulations, the law carries real teeth, including fines of up to $500 per violation and $1,000 for retaliation.

Unlike some technical labor laws that operate in legal gray areas, this ordinance is clear, prescriptive, and built for active enforcement. Employers will be judged by their data—schedules, communications, and time records—and cannot rely on ambiguity as a defense. With the County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs overseeing compliance, HR and legal teams should move quickly to train managers, audit scheduling systems, and implement internal procedures. For retail operations in unincorporated LA County, what once passed as flexible scheduling may now carry significant legal and financial risk.