In the coming weeks, Philadelphia City Council will begin debating a bill designed to deal with a common headache for an estimated 20 percent of the city’s labor force: their often unpredictable work schedules.

Councilwoman Helen Gym introduced the legislation in June. If passed, backers say 130,000 employees – most of them part-time chain retail and fast-food workers – would get their schedules two weeks in advance, be compensated for last-minute changes, and have a chance at full-time hours.

“Too many people are kept in poverty because of terrible practices like abusive scheduling that wreak havoc on people’s lives and leave them unable to predict their monthly incomes for rent or childcare,” said Gym.

Other big cities have similar “fair workweek” legislation, which gives Gym confidence Philadelphia can, too. It also means there’s a well of potentially valuable insight into what workers and their bosses might expect if it comes to pass here.

To see how this kind of law is working elsewhere, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News along with WHYY traveled to Seattle, one of four major cities with a fair workweek measure.

In July 2017 – three years after becoming the first major city to pass a $15 an hour minimum wage – Seattle rolled out its “secure scheduling” ordinance.

The law applies to roughly 1,000 employers and an estimated 40,000 employees, including single moms, but also college students struggling to juggle class and work.

Levi Underwood, a shift supervisor at Starbucks, always got his schedule two weeks in advance, even before secure scheduling became law, but his manager often asked him to cover extra shifts on short notice.

One time, the communications major failed one of his classes because he had to fill in on a Saturday he’d set aside to finish a final paper.

“I got called and it was just like, ‘There’s no one else. You’re the only one that can come in,’” said Underwood, who was already scheduled to work that Sunday.

He ended up rushing the paper, which meant he didn’t get enough points to pass the course. Failing the class meant he had to take it again, delaying his timeline for finishing his degree.

Thanks to the new law, Underwood said he doesn’t feel obligated to pick up last-minute shifts.

Similar to the bill proposed in Philadelphia, Seattle’s law has protections against retaliation. Legally, workers can refuse unscheduled hours without worrying they’re risking their jobs.

There are also financial consequences if a manager changes the schedule after workers get their hours.

For example, if a manager takes someone off the schedule, that worker gets paid for half of the missed hours.

It’s called premium pay, and it’s a sticking point for some businesses affected by secure scheduling, but also some employees who say those bonus hours often take time to reach their paychecks.

Bob Donegan is president of Ivar’s, an iconic Seattle seafood chain that employs roughly 1,000 people. About one quarter of them are covered by secure scheduling.

Donegan said that’s hurt his bottom line.