New Contract with Macy’s in NYC Area Helped Fuel Unionization Victory

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) announced today that workers at a Macy's furniture store in Elmhurst, Queens voted to become members of the union this past weekend, just days after more than 4,000 workers at four other Macy’s stores in the New York City area, including the global flagship at Herald Square in Manhattan, ratified a landmark new contract.

The victory in the NLRB-conducted election comes on the heels of Macy’s workers represented by the RWDSU winning a general wage increase of $3.05 over the next five years, lower healthcare costs, more control over scheduling and hours, and other job improvements.

“The contract victory the week before was a powerful reminder of the difference a union can make—which these workers understood,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU. “The victory in Elmhurst, Queens is part of a larger story about working people standing together to achieve more for themselves and their families.”

“These Macy’s furniture store workers will now have a more powerful voice on the job,” said Joseph Dorismond, the RWDSU organizer who ran the Elmhurst, Queens unionization campaign. “They understand that the union exists to fight for the shared interests of workers.”

The 4,000 workers at four Macy’s stores in New York have voted by more than a 10 to 1 margin to ratify a new five-year contract with the company. The contract between the union and Macy’s was ratified by workers at the Herald Square flagship store in Manhattan and workers at three stores in the Bronx, Queens, and Westchester.

The new contract covers workers at the four stores, all of whom are represented by Local 1-S of the RWDSU. The overwhelming number who voted in favor of the contract is unprecedented for the union, and reflects the strength of the contract and the many gains that were achieved by and for the workers.

Key provisions of the contract include a general wage increase of $3.05 over the next five years, more control over scheduling, guaranteed hours; and lower healthcare costs. Also, members of the fragrance and cosmetics staff, who work on commission, will receive prorated pay, or their average commission, for vacations, holidays and sick days—which is a landmark victory for them.

“The Macy’s workers displayed tremendous courage throughout the negotiation process,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU. “This contract sends a message to workers throughout New York City: when working people stand together in a union, they can make real gains for themselves and their families.”

“Every segment of the Macy’s workforce we represent benefits from this new contract,” said Ken Bordieri, President of Local 1-S of the RWDSU. “The contract will improve the lives of all these workers, who stood up and spoke in one unified voice during negotiations and fought for each other and what they knew was right.”