LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Over 400 workers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000, ratified a new, improved contract at three Macy’s stores in Washington Jan. 29 after strike actions at Alderwood, Southcenter and Bellingham malls.
Strikers distributed leaflets explaining the issues and urged people not to shop at Macy’s during the strike. Liisa Luick, Catherine McFadden and other strikers on the picket line said they have lived through the bosses’ drive to reduce “labor costs” and expressed their disdain for working conditions to maximize profits. “They’re trying to make me do the work of six people,” Luick said.
Workers made improvements in wages for new and current employees, in health and safety conditions, and a bonus, the union said. The entry wage had been the minimum wage plus 20 cents.