From UFCW Blog–Black Friday has finally become Black Thanksgiving, leaving retail workers with no time for turkey – or to spend with their families.
Retail workers go above and beyond to provide great service for their customers during the holiday season, and take pride in their work. But with stores like Walmart moving up Black Friday opening times to 10pm on Thanksgiving, and Target calling in workers at 11pm, retail workers will be unable to sit down with their families for Thanksgiving dinner this year.
Concerns over hours and scheduling constantly fall at the top of the list of problems for retail workers. That’s why workers should be able to stick together and have a say over their hours and scheduling, and compensation for holiday work. After all, retail jobs are the fastest growing jobs in the country, and millions of retail workers have the power to make these jobs good middle class jobs. That’s good for our economy, and good for all Americans. UFCW members who work at stores like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Modell’s, and H&M know the power of sticking together and speaking with one voice. They know that we can improve our jobs and our lives by standing up with one another for what’s right. By sticking together in a union, these retail workers earn higher pay for work on holidays. They also have more control over their schedules.
Retail workers are part of the 99 percent. And it’s good to see that people are paying attention to the working conditions facing retail workers in our economy. We know that when workers speak with one voice to address workplace issues with management as a group, they begin to level the playing field and improve their jobs. When we support workers coming together to make positive changes in the workplace, we all win.
Retail workers and their families deserve respect on the job. Stand with Walmart employees and other retail workers who are sticking together to have a voice over their schedules during the holidays.