Retail workers deal with a lot of bills, but one they lack is a bill of rights. Should there be a Retail Workers’ Bill of Rights establishing specific standards and protections for the retail sector as a whole? For example:

1. All retail workers are to earn a minimum of $12/hour (that number could, of course, be higher).

2. Employers are to provide schedules one month in advance. If workers are sent home mid-shift, they are to be paid for the hours scheduled anyway.

3. Full-time and part-time workers are to be provided paid sick days, for the protection of all workers and customers.

4. Workers seeking full-time work are to be offered more hours, before any new part-time hires are made.

5. All retail workers are free to unite with their co-workers, organize, engage in political discussion and activism, and self-advocate. No employer representative can prevent such activities or retaliate against workers who engage in political discussion or collective action anywhere, including online.

These are but some of the ideas which could be included. The bill of rights could be at the municipal/local, provincial, and/or national level.

Retail workers’ organization OUR Walmart has a Declaration of Respect. Recently, retail and food workers in Baltimore presented an employer with a proposed bill of rights, supported by UNITE HERE. Domestic workers in New York organized and they won a bill of rights in 2010. Their victory offers lessons. Which governments would be interested in implementing a bill of rights? Which individual politicians would introduce such a bill?

A Retail Workers’ Bill of Rights – is this an idea whose time has come? Retail workers, their allies, and all those who know we need to revolutionize retail will answer that question, together.