Portside

The holiday season brought many of the risks and challenges of retail work to a head, from crowds and maskless customers to demanding bosses and supply chain problems.

The changes come at a time when there's growing concern for hourly workers. Thousands of workers have staged protests to call attention to their financial struggles and to fight for hourly pay of $15. The November election of a Republican-controlled Congress dampened hopes of an increase in the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage. But advocates have continued to press for boosts on the state and local level.

To regain lost wages and benefits, UFCW Local 400 used political power, working with union, community, and faith allies to win minimum wage increases and paid sick days in much of the area the union represents. The local also mobilized its membership. Conferences that brought together nearly 300 Safeway and Giant stewards were followed by mass meetings and in-store action teams. The result was a victory and a commitment to keep up the pressure.

With Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods, everything about the company is changing. But there remains one constant: Whole Foods still intends to be “100 percent union-free”. The hostility to worker rights that the two companies share is the future they envision for the entire hospitality industry.

Thanksgiving Day sales, Black Friday, Cyber Monday prevent retail workers from enjoying family time. Employers aren’t just giving workers unstable, unpredictable shifts during the hectic holiday season — they’re doing it all year round. Nearly 40 percent of retail workers are given irregular schedules that wreak havoc on their lives.