Guaranteed Minimum Hours A Major Goal For Retail Unions

When Starbucks recently vowed to change its policies to give workers more stability and consistency in hours, the move highlighted a major issue for retail workers: scheduling. In fact, it’s their number one issue, according to Stuart Applebaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The New York Times looked at several union and non-union stores in midtown Manhattan, and found that major unionized retailers, – including Macy’s, H&M, and Bloomingdale’s – have given workers guaranteed minimum hours for both part-and full-time, and welcome job security. These workers are a minority however: A recent study found that, of 236 Manhattan retail workers surveyed, only 40 percent had set minimum hours per work week.