NEW YORK — Members of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, UFCW Local 1-S rallied in front of Macy’s Herald Square flagship in bitter cold Monday as the union readies for a possible strike.
The union members held signs that read “working for Macy’s is no parade,” and called for what the union describes as a “fair and decent” contract. Zita Allen, a media spokeswoman for the union, said 300 attendees were expected at the height of the rally.
The retail workers’ union, which represents over 3,500 Macy’s New York sales associates and store support personnel, voted last week to authorize a strike if a new contract is not agreed upon by March 3. The main points of contention in the negotiations are wages, health care and a performance-based wage increase proposal. No date for the strike has been set, but a work stoppage could affect the Herald Square, Queens Center, Parkchester and White Plains Macy’s stores.
“Today’s demonstration by the union outside of the Herald Square store is a customary practice that takes place during contract negotiations as the deadline for a new labor contract approaches. We are still at the bargaining table, negotiating in good faith and working very hard to reach an agreement before the contract expires on March 3 at 11:59 p.m.,” said Elina Kazan, a Macy’s spokeswoman. The company requested a federal mediator to join the negotiations, she added.
“Macy’s Department Stores and Federated Department Stores are not keeping their end of the bargain,” said RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum in remarks delivered at the rally. “Brothers and sisters, where is Terry Lundgren, the ceo of Federated Department Stores? Where is Terry Lundgren?” he asked.
Remarks were made during the rally by city, state and national union leadership, Macy’s employees, community organizations and state and local government officials. In addition to Appelbaum the speakers included: Betsy Gotbaum, New York City Public Advocate; Congressman Anthony Weiner; Andrew Cuomo, the union-endorsed candidate for New York State Attorney General; Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion; Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; representatives for Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker, and City Comptroller William Thompson; leaders of union chapters in Seattle and Boston, and the union that represents Bloomingdale’s sales associates.
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Last month Macy’s parent company, Federated, said its fourth-quarter net income was up 58.9 percent to $699 million, a figure that was referred to often by the speakers at the rally. Federated acquired May Department Stores, which includes Macy’s and its flagship store, in August 2005.