Posts Categorized: Allies and Affiliates

On March 3, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum spoke at a rally in front of New York City Hall in support of Intro. 1387, legislation that will ban on-call scheduling practices in the retail industry. On-call scheduling disrupts workers’ lives by requiring them to be available to work certain hours even if they are not scheduled to work and won’t get paid. Appelbaum also testified at the New York City Council’s hearing in support of the ban.

“On-call scheduling is a pervasive and exploitive employment practice where workers do not find out until just before a scheduled shift if they will be required to work or not,” Appelbaum said. “On-call scheduling is devastating for retail workers. You need to put your life on hold and be available for work – regardless of whether you will be called-in or paid. If you are a part-time worker, the uncertainty of your schedule means you can’t arrange for a needed second job. If you are a parent, you don’t know if you are going to need child care. If you want to continue your schooling, you can’t sign up for classes without knowing your availability.”

“Today’s hearings are a critical first step in helping workers gain more control over their own lives and their ability to earn a living,” Appelbaum added. “I urge the city council to pass Intro. 1387 swiftly.”

RWDSU/UFCW members who work at Babeland in New York unanimously ratified their first contract on Feb. 13. Babeland is a mission-driven, queer-owned sex toy boutique, and the contract covers the company’s sex educators and retail sales associates who work in three New York stores.

Under the new contract, workers will receive health benefits, general wage increases and adjustments, as well as signing bonuses and post-probationary wage increases. Most significantly, the contract includes added safety and security trainings and protocols to protect Babeland’s predominately LGBTQ and female workforce.

“This is the only workforce in this industry that is unionized, I think that’s significant,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. “The provisions negotiated in this contract sets a standard for protecting LGBTQ workers in this and many workplaces across the country. I am proud of the Babeland workers and their tenacious work to ensure all of their coworkers have the safety measures and training they need.”

“In organizing with the RWDSU, we were able to do together what we never could have done alone,” said Phoenix Casino, a Babeland employee. “Not only do we have a greater sense of solidarity on the sales floor, but we now also have health benefits, a service that many of us have a dire need for. We were able to improve the quality of our lives both in and out of the shop, an accomplishment that we only could have reached with collective action.”