Bloomingdales flagship store in New York gets 4 year deal

A little late news on my part, sorry people. Bloomingdales and RWDSU Local 3 now have 4 year agreement.

From UNI Global Union (5/6/08) :

New York flagship department store gets four year collective agreement

Workers at Bloomingdales, New York's upmarket department store, have achieved a four year collective agreement. The deal came after difficult and drawn out negotiations, where the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union finally was forced to announce a strike on behalf of the 2,000 Bloomingdales workers.

The new contract will give workers an hourly average pay raise of 2,15 USD over the four year period. There is also a productivity bonus of 30 cents, which will depend on the department store's performance. Other benefits include better possibilities for part time workers to get full time contracts.

Ida Torres, President of Local 3 RWDSU was satisfied with the result:

- Our members work hard and deserve all of the benefits of a good contract. We're pleased to have negotiated a new collective agreement with Bloomingdale’s that provides for many improvements and protections including a guaranteed wage increase in each of the 4 years of the contract. I am proud of our members and their resilience and determination to secure a contract that is right for them.

Late last year, RWDSU organised over 1,000 shop workers at leading global fashion retailer H&M after more than 90 per cent of participating employees cast their votes for union representation.