Bloomingdale's Workers and Management Reach Tentative Agreement After Rally for a Fair Contract

To rate or comment, view full size.   |   or make your own.

by Lisa Bonarrigo

Bloomingdale’s workers and management reached a tentative contract agreement Wednesday, April 30, avoiding the intended strike declared by the leaders of Local 3, a union representing Bloomingdale’s workers under the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). A strike would affect over 2,000 workers and close the Bloomingdale’s 59th St. store indefinitely.

The old contract expired Wednesday night, implementing a new 4-year contract which addresses all but the workers’ desired health care plan. Before the contract is ratified, an additional two weeks has been allotted for discussion of this and the general wage increase demanded by the workers.

Workers at the Bloomingdale’s 59th St. store sent a message to management Thursday, April 24 when they voted to strike for a better contract, ultimately generating the tentative agreement. This decision came after Local 3 rallied outside the 59th St. store on Tuesday, April 22.

Local 3 members repeated chants such as “What do we want? Contract. When do we want it? Now” and “Who are we? Local 3” at the demonstration, which lasted a little over an hour. Yellow fliers were distributed reading “Bloomingdale’s workers are demonstrating today as part of a Union effort to convince Management and Macy’s Inc, the parent company, to be fair and just.”

Immediately following the demonstration, Local 3 representatives and Bloomingdale’s management met to continue contract discussions which began on Feb. 14. The workers’ demands for a general wage increase and a better health care plan were not met at that time.

RWDSU Local 3 President Ida Torres expressed her concern for the workers at the rally. “At this point, we’re looking for a living wage. A wage that ensures our workers can put food on the table for their families; we want them to have the health benefits they need to survive,” Torres said.

According to Torres, under the most recent contract workers at Bloomingdale’s are being paid as little as the $8 an hour minimum wage in New York City. Another category of workers are paid by straight commission. “They don’t know what they’re making, it depends on what they sell,” Torres said.

The health benefits under the most recent contract do not meet the demands of the workers in order to ensure a decent standard of living, according to Torres.

Torres mentioned the National Labor Relations Board, which was created by Congress under the Wagner Act in 1935 to guarantee employees the right to organize and negotiate with their employers. “With a union, the boss has to deal with the voices of the workers,” Torres said.

Cassandra Berrocal, Secretary Treasurer of RWDSU Local 3, similarly noted the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, also known as the Labor-Management Relations Act. This act made union organization laws more specific, such as more clearly defining unfair labor practices.

At the time of the rally Berrocal was positive about the pending negotiations with the company. “Our intention is to settle by May 1,” she said. The workers’ contract originally expired on March 1, but an automatic 60 day extension was implemented.
Berrocal stressed the amount of workers represented by Local 3, and how many are discouraged with the current contract. “Our local union represents workers from all divisions of operation in the 59th St. store – the selling division, the non-selling division, housekeeping, and so on,” Berrocal said.

Sal Leibowitz has worked in the Advertising Department of Bloomingdale’s 59th St. store for 40 years. He said he’s witnessed a couple of demonstrations similar to the one on April 22, but did not believe a strike was necessary. “This isn’t the worst, but it’s pretty bad,” Leibowitz said.

Leibowitz said he’s stayed with the company for so many years because of the security of having a job. “I like the people here and I enjoy the work, but I’ve got to survive also,” he said.

Harriet Farmah, a sales associate at the 59th St. store for past two years, was also concerned about security. She said that the workers are being treated unfairly due to a lack of respect from the company. “We are not appreciated at all. We bring the store millions of dollars every year and it’s not appreciated,” Farmah said.

The Bloomingdale’s workers received support from many union workers around New York City who joined them to picket. “We have the support of the RWDSU and local unions from the Central Labor Council – which represents 1.5 million workers,” Berrocal said.

RWDSU represents union workers throughout New York City. President of the RWDSU, Stuart Appelbaum, was at the demonstration and said that he was concerned for the workers at Bloomingdale’s. He agreed with Farmah, saying that the workers deserve respect from the management. “We have workers here that have made this company successful throughout the years. They demand dignity and respect,” Appelbaum said.
He also went on to explain how both the workers and their families are affected by the contract negotiations. “They want to know they won’t have to worry how they’re going to survive or how their families are going to have the healthcare they deserve,” Appelbaum said.

Ruben Fort, Vice President of Local 377, another union within New York City represented by RWDSU, said that what happens to one union can often affect others. “That’s why we’re here in solidarity with Local 3 today,” Fort said.

Daniel J. Walkowitz is Director of Experiential Learning with a particular interest in labor at New York University’s Metropolitan Studies Department. He said that union workers rally to build public support, draw attention to their cause, and educate consumers as an alternative to a strike, which deprives them of wages.

Walkowitz also mentioned why negotiations are necessary with pending strikes. “Some owners, usually the more intractable ones, prefer to negotiate and recognize unions as a way to create labor peace, and have organized spokespersons that can discipline the labor force and avoid wildcat strikes. Strikes cast workers wages in the short term, but they cost owners profits that can not be recouped,” Walkowitz said.