When Macy’s department store in downtown Pittsburgh created three new departments in the spring of 2007, they were very clear that the new employees would be non-union. But Local 101, which already represents the 65 workers there, was determined that the new workers would have a union voice. “The workers in these new departments would be taking on responsibilities that Local 101 members had been performing: putting up signs, setting up merchandise tables, and checking to make sure everything is priced correctly,” said RWDSU Representative Tom Scheid. “Clearly, the company established these new departments to perform these duties exclusively, and wanted them to be non-union.” In response, Local 101 immediately filed a unit clarification petition with the federal National Labor Relations Board. Shortly, Local 101 got a call from Macy’s saying that the giant retailer was now willing to voluntarily recognize the union’s right to represent workers in the new departments. “It shows what a strong union can do when it pushes back,” Scheid added, “We are glad that workers in the new departments will have an RWDSU voice.”
