Bellingham Macy’s to strike on Black Friday; Bellis Fair employees calling for change
The Macy’s department store in the Bellis Fair mall is planning to go on strike during one of the busiest shopping days of the year, Black Friday.
Hundreds of employees in the Macy’s Workers Union UFCW 3000 announced an unfair labor practices strike at three of the busiest Washington locations, including Bellis Fair, Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood and Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, according to a Nov. 17 news release from the union.
The strike comes as the union believes Macy’s “is not doing enough to address shoplifting, violent shoppers, and other safety threats to workers and customers,” along with pay not keeping up with the rising cost of living, the news release states.
“I’ve been at the Bellis Fair Macy’s for 19 years,” Christina Verkist said in the release. “I’m in home goods, and my customers count on my knowledge of the products. But because they cut down on workers, I’m alone a lot in my department. With the threats we face from shoplifters, Macy’s needs to improve security, and we deserve better pay. The price of everything is up but my pay is not. Most of the time I can’t afford to fill up my gas tank. We hope customers will shop elsewhere while we are on strike for safer stores and better pay.”
A total of 400 Macy’s workers plan to strike at the three major Washington Macy’s stores Nov. 24, and they are asking that customers respect the strike lines and shop elsewhere.
“Macy’s is making billions of dollars and paying their CEO $11 million a year, but most of us workers are struggling to make ends meet. Pay isn’t keeping up with inflation. We shouldn’t have to question whether we can afford to have health insurance and go to the doctor. Until Macy’s shows that they respect and value us with better security and better pay, they will lose more workers. I hope our customers will stand with us in this fight and not shop at Macy’s while we are striking,” Azia Domingo, an employee at Macy’s for 21 years, wrote in the news release.
The strike is also supported by over 14,700 residents who have signed the pledge to respect the union, the new release states.
“Macy’s seeks to reach a deal that is mutually beneficial to the colleague, company and union,” a Macy’s spokesperson wrote in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
The company also met with Macy’s workers and the union on Nov. 6, 7 and 15 to reach an agreement, but were unable to reach one, according to the news release.
Bellingham’s Macy’s store is regularly open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at 50 E Bellis Fair Pkwy.
This story was originally published November 17, 2023 at 12:15 PM.
