RWDSU Calls on Holiday Shoppers and Amazon to Treat Workers with Dignity and Respect

As the holiday shopping season gets underway, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), is urging holiday shoppers to treat workers with dignity and respect as they return to shopping in stores amid supply-chain issues.

“The supply chain is still precarious as we emerge from the pandemic. Retail workers bear the brunt of shoppers’ frustration. Tempers quickly rise when customers hear that coveted holiday items are stuck on shipping containers at sea and have been backordered for months; and especially if they’ve gone to multiple stores only to go home empty handed. Workers are not to blame, and stores should provide security, safety protocols and training to handle irate shoppers this season. Retail workers experience heightened stress and pressure this time of year, even in normal times. Shoppers need to remember what this season is supposed to be all about — kindness,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

The union also called on Amazon in particular to recognize the health and safety needs of its employees, and reduce the unbearable pace of work which has resulted in countless documented physical and mental injuries — a pace of work that is only exacerbated by the holiday shopping season. Read the full Amazon statement here.