Eno Awotoye, a Macy’s worker, member of Local 1-S of the RWDSU, and activist with the Retail Action Project is featured on the American Worker.  Her story and perspectives offer an important perspective on retail work and workers’ rights.

You can find a very useful synthesis of the relative power of Walmart in this infographic created by Frugal Dad.  It helps us understand just how significant Walmart is, and how it compares to other companies, workplaces, and even to countries’ economies.  The data is further proof of why retail matters, how much retail matters, and why we should be having broad-based conversations about the sector.

There is growing evidence of the connections among Walmart’s low prices, low wages, and job losses – in retail and beyond. Walmart is the largest private sector employer in the world, so its actions have wide-reaching effects across industries. This article outlines the impact of Walmart’s model for US workers, as does this Demos study. The pattern is similar in other countries. For example, Canada lost 30 000 jobs in July, with large decreases in both retail and manufacturing. As other large, low-wage retailers move into Canada, things will not improve, unless changes are made.  And there are a number of alternative avenues available. As but one example, my colleague at MIT, Zeynep Ton, makes a strong argument about what companies should do, and how treating workers better actually helps the bottom line. Walmart workers and their allies are also playing a leading role in promoting change. Ongoing job losses, poverty wages, and poor conditions cannot be defended – economically or ethically.

Lowe’s takeover bid of Canada’s large hardware/home improvement chain, Rona, has implications for thousands of retail workers, particularly those in the stores in Québec, members of TUAC 500 (UFCW).  The current government of Québec has said it is not in favour of the takeover due to Rona’s prioritization of Canadian suppliers, and the potential impact on the regional and national economy if the stores were to be acquired by Lowe’s. Read more about the issues in this CBC report.

Retail Report, a great media-based site for and about retail workers has just been launched.  Co-hosted by Pablo and Jazmine (a recent graduate of Brock Labour Studies!), this site is an exciting contribution to debates about retail work.

HBC has announced it will close the remaining Zellers stores which were not taken over by Target. About 6400 workers will lose their jobs.  Workers in the stores being converted to Target have also been told that they are being laid off. I send my condolences to all the Zellers workers who are losing their jobs – from the newest additions, to those who have worked in the stores for nearly forty years. This is a strong reminder of the need to revolutionize retail so workers’ needs are taken more seriously.

The National Employment Law Project has released an important study focusing on companies’ profits and whether profits translate into better wages.  The study, based on US census data, has some significant data for retail and other low-wage service workers, including that the large companies making profits still primarily only pay minimum-wage.  The NELP media release with key links is available here. You can also read this story in the Nation.

A piece in the Hawai’i News Daily compiling some noteworthy data about Walmart.