Four hundred workers in Washington state to strike, alleging the company \u2013 which pays millions to executives \u2013 is not playing fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Macy\u2019s workers are planning to strike on Black Friday<\/a>, alleging unfair labor practices and the retailer\u2019s failure to reach a new union contract deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Four hundred workers at Macy\u2019s locations in Washington state are planning action after 96%\u2002<\/a>of workers voted in favor of authorizing the strike in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2021 and 2022, Macy\u2019s reported\u2002<\/a>profits of over $1bn. The company spent<\/a> $600m on stock buybacks and paid out $173m in dividends to shareholders in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The union has criticized<\/a> these profits and the Macy\u2019s chief executive Jeff Gennette\u2019s $11m annual pay package as the company refuses to budge on wage increases the union is asking for in a new contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe would like them to share some of those profits so we can have a liveable wage,\u201d said Azia Domingo, who has worked at Macy\u2019s in Tukwila, Washington, for 21 years. \u201cMacy\u2019s CEO gets $11m per year while a lot of his workers rely on food banks, and some can\u2019t even afford to see doctors because of the low wages and the expensive healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting pay<\/a> in the most recent contract with Macy\u2019s was at or near Washington state\u2019s minimum wage, which goes up to to $16.28 an hour from 1 January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Domingo said low pay has made it difficult to attract and retain workers, while not properly compensating workers who have put in years of service with the company, resulting in chronic understaffing and higher workloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA lot of times on the floor there will be one person covering everything \u2013 and that\u2019s hard. More and more people are having to take on more,\u201d added Domingo. \u201cWe work long hours. Our job titles keep getting longer and longer, and Macy\u2019s isn\u2019t wanting to invest in their employees and invest in keeping them long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n