Latest news with #StuartAppelbaum
Fashion United
3 days ago
- Business
- Fashion United
What to know about New York's Retail Worker Safety Act
New York's Retail Worker Safety Act (RWSA) has officially been mandated after experiencing slight delays in its enactment. The act (S. 8358B/A. 8947C) was signed into law by local governor Kathy Hochul last year, to address increased levels of violence seen among retail stores. From June 2, any store with 10 or more employees that 'sells consumer commodities at retail and which is not primarily engaged in the sale of food for consumption on the premises' will be required to adopt and implement a violence prevention policy, train employees on de-escalation tactics and inform employees of emergency procedures for situations like active shooters. The New York State Department of Labor has been tasked with developing a model risk assessment and training programme focused on de-escalation tactics and active shooter training. This is to be issued in English, as well as 12 commonly spoken languages. Employers to provide standardised de-escalation and violence prevention training This reflects an amendment made to the bill, which was initially slated to be mandated in March, however, was pushed back to reconsider the adoption of a violence prevention policy that was to be distributed to staff. Employers with less than 50 employees will now need to provide training on such matters at the time of hire and every two years following, instead of annually, as previously stated in the law. Requirements will then expand by January 1, 2027, to require New York retailers with more than 500 employees to implement silent panic buttons that alert on-site management or security officers in place of law enforcement. Employers can only install the buttons on employer-provided equipment, and must not use the technology to track employee whereabouts unless in an emergency. The RWSA was spearheaded by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSO), the president of which, Stuart Appelbaum, said retail workers across New York 'will be safer because of this law'. His statement to FashionUnited continued: 'Retail workers should not have to go to work every day in fear; and this law goes a long way towards ending that. The Retail Worker Safety Act provides for preventative measures that will help deter violence and harassment before it starts; and most importantly, will assist workers in getting help quickly in the event of an emergency.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New York's Retail Worker Safety Act Is Live
New York's retail crime compliance countdown has closed as the Retail Worker Safety Act (NYRWSA) has been implemented, and Governor Kathy Hochul's 'landmark legislation' has commenced. The Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU), for one, is grateful. More from Sourcing Journal Activists Know How to Stop Sexual Violence in the Garment Supply Chain. Will Brands Buy In? Are Amazon's Warehouses Facing an 'Injury Crisis'? SHIPS for America Act Reintroduced to Reinvigorate US Shipbuilding Effective June 4, the NYRWSA (S. 8358B/A. 8947C) will 'introduce critical safety measures to protect retail workers across the state,' according to the semi-autonomous division of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). 'Retail workers—and shoppers—across New York will be safer because of this law,' Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, said. 'Retail workers should not have to go to work every day in fear; this law goes a long way towards ending that.' New York State Senator Jessica Ramos introduced the NYRWSA last January to compel employers to evaluate their workplaces for risks, develop a violence prevention plan, provide ongoing safety training for workers—and revisit these efforts annually. The Harris-endorsing union has worked with Ramos and New York State Assemblymember Karines Reyes, who chairs its subcommittee on workplace safety, throughout the bill's ascension and amendments. While the New York State Senate passed S8358B last summer, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an amendment to the act in February, extending the effective date of some of its provisions to June 2. 'The Retail Worker Safety Act provides for preventative measures that will help deter violence and harassment before it starts,' Appelbaum said. 'And, most importantly, will assist workers in getting help quickly in the event of an emergency.' Retailers with 10 or more employees must develop 'comprehensive violence prevention plans, conduct regular risk assessments and provide biennial training on de-escalation techniques and active shooter scenarios,' the NYRWSA mandates. Retailers with 500 or more employees, meanwhile, must install silent response buttons—allowing 'workers to discreetly alert security personnel during emergencies,' the RWDSU said—before January 1, 2027. 'As a produce manager, I've witnessed firsthand the escalating tensions in retail environments,' said Edwin Quezada, a manager at a stop-and-shop in Long Island and Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW member. 'This Act ensures we have the training and tools to handle volatile situations, making our workplaces safer for both employees and customers. We worked hard to see it brought into law and I'm proud to see it starting to take effect.' The issue has become a source of anxiety for retail employees as retail crime ratchets up, a survey conducted by the RWDSU last spring found. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said they've personally experienced verbal harassment or intimidating behavior at work. Eighty percent reported concerns about an active shooter entering their place of business. Seven percent reported that their employers 'made safety improvements following violent incidents,' per the survey. 'Every day I came to work with a pit in my stomach, not knowing if today would be the day someone got aggressive or violent,' said Nancy Almodovar, a salesperson at a major department store in Manhattan, per the RSDSU. 'We've been ignored for too long by our employers, but this law finally says: our safety matters. It gives us real tools and real protection—and for the first time in a long time, I feel like someone's looking out for us.' There's precedent for such programs, the labor union said. The NYRWSA builds on the public sector's workplace violence protection law from 2006 and uses the statutory framework of New York's 2018 workplace sexual harassment protection law, per the RWDSU. 'We are grateful that Governor Hochul has focused on preventing retail violence and theft and for bill sponsors Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman Karines Reyes,' said Appelbaum.
Reuters
18-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump administration aims to make faster meat processing permanent
CHICAGO/WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Monday it plans to permanently allow U.S. poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly, raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for meat companies and industry associations such as the National Chicken Council, which have advocated for faster processing line speeds. However, it adds to health concerns about slaughterhouse workers, who often perform repetitive tasks with sharp knives and toil in extreme heat or cold. USDA will start a process to make permanent higher speeds that it allows at some facilities under waivers, according to a statement. Chicken plants with waivers can process up to 175 birds per minute, compared to a previous limit of 140 birds. The agency also will extend waivers, allowing facilities to "meet demand without excessive government interference," the statement said. USDA's announcement cited a lack of direct links between processing speeds and workplace injuries, but research shows that meatpacking workers face a greater risk of serious harm. Worker unions and other advocacy groups have long argued that greater speeds threaten food safety and pose a higher risk of stress injuries and accidents for workers. Immigrants and undocumented workers often fill meatpacking jobs. "Increased line speeds will hurt workers – it's not a maybe, it's a definite," said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents 15,000 poultry workers. In his first term, President Donald Trump in 2019 issued a rule that allowed pork plants to run processing lines as quickly as they wanted. A federal judge blocked the rule in 2021 after a challenge from worker unions. The Biden administration in 2023 allowed six pork plants to operate faster in a trial program for which USDA collected data on worker injuries. Making the higher speeds permanent will increase stability for pork producers, the National Pork Producers Council industry group said. USDA-funded data, released in January, found pork and chicken plant workers face higher risks than other manufacturing workers for musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Among six pork plants, higher line speeds were associated with greater risks for workers at one plant and lower risks at another, while line speeds did not make a statistically significant difference at four facilities, according to the data. There was no association between greater speeds and higher risks for poultry workers, the data showed. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate occupational illness cases reported in the animal slaughtering and processing industry were six times higher than the average for all industries in 2022.
