Today, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Retail Worker Safety Act (RWSA) S. 8358B/A. 8947C into law. The Act requires corporate retail employers to adopt a violence prevention plan, train workers in de-escalation and active shooters, and large employers install panic buttons throughout the workplace. For the retail workers toiling on the front lines, retail violence is a growing workplace issue that the administration put front and center this legislative session. The RWSA, which was spearheaded by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), centers on preventative action that puts protections for workers and shoppers in our retail stores into place before incidents happen. The real time solutions in this law will save lives and make shopping safer for all.

In the midst of REI’s Labor Day weekend sale, REI Chicago workers stopped work and walked off the job in an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike to protest REI’s failure to bargain over recent changes to scheduling and availability policies, as well as their failure to bargain a union contract in good faith. Notably, the REI Chicago Lincoln Park store is currently understaffed, putting undue burden on workers during a busy sale weekend. Workers rallied and picketed outside the store with their allies, demanding that REI come back to the table to bargain over the recent restructuring changes and reach a first union contract by the end of the year.

RWDSU members at six Guitar Center locations recently ratified a new three-year agreement! Importantly for sales associates and repair technicians, the contract maintains the current commission structure – unlike the non-union Guitar Center stores, where commission payouts have been slashed across the company. That’s the union difference!

Today, the New York State Senate passed the Retail Worker Safety Act S. 8358B following passage of the coordinating bill in the Assembly A. 8947C on June 3, 2024. The Act requires corporate retail employers to adopt a violence prevention plan, train workers in de-escalation and active shooters and large employers must install panic buttons throughout the workplace. For the retail workers toiling on the front lines, retail violence is a growing workplace issue that must be addressed.