Thousands of Macy's Workers Threaten Strike

Thousands of city Macy's employees are threatening to strike if there's no contract agreement in place by midnight on Wednesday, June 15. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union announced on Monday that 4,000-plus members voted to authorize the union to call a strike. It would affect four Macy's stores, including the Herald Square store, and three others in Westchester County, the Bronx and in Queens.

The union said the company has made millions in profits, but is not passing the earnings along to its workers. They said Macy's is making "unreasonable demands on wages, benefits, and hours." RWDSU cites a new scheduling system and cuts to pension benefits for new hires as points of contention, among other things.

In a statement, Macy's said it continues to bargain in "good faith" with the union, and said it's offering wage and benefits that are "among the best for department stores in New York City and across the country."

The company also says the strike-authorization vote was expected, but that it will continue negotiations to prevent a strike.