Our Perspective
The New Reality
of Reopening
Retail Stores
By Stuart Appelbaum, President
Retail, Wholesale and Department
Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW
Twitter: @sappelbaum
As the Empire State takes its first tentative
steps toward reopening the economy,
nothing is more important than ensuring
we do it the right way. Part of this process will be
the reopening of retail stores, most of which have been shuttered since
March. And the single most important condition of reopening retail is
ensuring the safety of employees and customers.
Our union knows all too well that this is a matter of life or death.
Across the country, the RWDSU has lost dozens of members to the
Coronavirus scourge, and countless RWDSU families know the anguish
of losing loved ones to the COVID-19 disease. Tens of thousands of
RWDSU members will be putting their lives on the line when the
economy and retail stores further reopen, along with countless other
working Americans. With thousands of RWDSU members employed at
retail chains including Macy’s, Zara, Bloomingdales, and H&M, we
couldn’t be more concerned. We only have one chance to get this right;
getting it wrong – with potentially fatal consequences to our families and
communities – cannot be an option.
It all starts with wearing masks, which is probably the most important
thing we can do to protect people along with social distancing. All
employees, management, and customers should be provided masks as
they enter the store and they must be required to use them when they are
in the store. Consistent mask usage helps prevent transmission of the
virus, and it is a crucial component of any responsible reopening plan.
Employers need to commit to enforcing social distancing between
employees, and employees and customers. Plexiglass partitions need
to be constructed at all registers, and temperature testing needs to be
provided to all employees at the employee entrance when they begin
their shifts to prevent sick workers from entering the facility.
Employees need to be given more breaks so they can wash their
hands, and they need to be provided with sanitizer and gloves.
Employers also must make an unprecedented commitment to cleaning
and disinfecting their stores, cleaning all break rooms and restrooms on a
regular basis through-out the day. All employee areas need to be properly
supplied with paper towels and hand sanitizer. The same type of protocol
needs to be used for any equipment employees use, including registers.
And, all interactions between customers and employees need to be adjusted
to ensure safety. Gone are the days when employees would pass a
customer a phone to talk to credit card employees.
Stores need to be deep cleaned and disinfected at the end of the day,
and air circulation or air conditioning systems need to have proper filters
sufficient to clean the air from contaminates. Filters must be cleaned
every day.
We all want to see New York’s economy moving again, and we
want RWDSU members to be able to return to their jobs safely. This
means a real commitment from employers to doing this the right way.
We’ve made some progress in New York in the fight against COVID-19;
it’s proof that a scientific, health-driven approach can
work during these uncertain times. If we are going
to open our stores, we need to continue to
embrace this approach, and keep workers and
customers safe, protected, and secure.
www.rwdsu.org
D E M O C R A T • AD 65
VOTE BY JUNE 23
Leadership matters. Now more than ever.
“ We’ve been through a lot together. 9/11.
Superstorm Sandy. And since March, the
greatest challenge of our lifetime.
It’s what we do next that matters most.”
Paid for by Grace Lee for Assembly
www.graceleeforassembly.com /GraceLeeforNYC @graceleefornyc
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