It is with Deep Sorrow that we announce the passing of our Sister Cassandra A. Berrocal, President of Local 3 United Storeworkers RWDSU Council/UFCW and Director of The Storeworkers Security Plan on Sunday, January 15, 2022.   Visitation: Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home 1076 Madison Avenue (81st Street) New York, NY 10028 (212) 288-3502  Thursday, January 27, 2022, 2PM – 4PM and 6PM-8PM Friday, January 28, 2022, 2PM – 4PM and 6PM –8PM   Funeral Mass: Saturday, January 29, 2022 St Patrick’s Cathedral 5th Avenue (50th 51st Streets) New York, NY 9:30AM   Attend virtually: Click here for the link to the virtual Funeral Mass for Casey. The link for the web stream will also be on Frank E Campbell website: Dignitymemorial.com. Under obituaries, search for Cassandra A Berrocal    Internment: St. Raymond Cemetery Bronx, NY   In lieu of flowers the family ask that you make a donation to: Littleflowerny.org Workersdefenseleague.org   Cards and Messages of Condolence may be sent to: Berrocal Family in care of Local 3 RWDSU/UFCW

2022 Transition Package As negotiated in the 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement, Bloomingdale’s is offering 50 Transition Packages to those colleagues who meet the eligibility requirements.  All Selections must be made via Insite. The election period window opens on January 9th and will close at 11:59 PM on January 15th.  The Eligibility Requirements are as follows:  Age 55+ as of January 15, 2022 15 years of completed service as of January 15, 2022 Must be a regular employee at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street or Long Island City RWDSU Local 3 member There will be Transition Package offered to fifty (50) eligible employees, in order of seniority. First 25 transition packages offered, which are based on seniority, are eligible for one week for every completed year of service; max forty-seven (47) weeks of pay. The remaining 25 transition packages, which are offered based on seniority, are eligible to receive one week for every completed years of service; max twenty six (26) weeks of pay.           REMEMBER………All Selections must be made via Insite.             If you have any questions regarding this offering, please contact your Union Representative. Within the next week a severance overview with FAQs will be sent to you via IN-SITE Message.      If you have questions regarding your benefits, please contact 1-800-234-6229, option 3. In Union Solidarity, President, Cassandra A. Berrocal      Secretary-Treasurer, Shaun Kavanagh  Recorder, JR Desighethy    

LOCAL  3 United Storeworkers                                                                                                                                                                                                  RWDSU Council/UFCW                                                                                                                                                                                                             31-21 31st Street, 4th Floor                                                                                                                                                                                                      Astoria, N.Y. 11106                                                                                                                                                            (212) 371-6230 President, Cassandra A. Berrocal Secretary-Treasurer, Shaun Kavanagh Recorder, James R.  de Szigethy December 20, 2021   Re:    COVID vaccination – Bloomingdale’s Dear Local 3 Member: As you may have heard, on December 14th, Mayor de Blasio, through the New York City Department of Health, issued a vaccine mandate for private sector employers within the 5 boroughs of New York City. This mandate states that beginning December 27th, all private-sector workers who have not filed for reasonable accommodations for either religious or medical reasons must provide proof of full vaccination or proof of at least one vaccine dose to their employers. Bloomingdale’s sent you a memo on December 17, 2021 stating it was complying with the City’s mandate and set forth requirements you must follow. Under the City mandate, if an employee has received one dose but is not fully vaccinated, the employee must inform the employer the date by which proof of the second dose will be provided. According to New York City requirements, that date must be within 45 days of when proof of their first dose was submitted. Workers who believe they may qualify for a reasonable accommodation for medical or religious beliefs must request this accommodation by December 27th. If you do not get vaccinated, or do not timely file for an accommodation, the City-mandate prohibits you from entering your workplace. Prior City-ordered mandates have been upheld by the courts for public sector workers and we see no reason why a court would not uphold this mandate for private sector workers if challenged. You may have also heard that President Biden’s OSHA COVID regulations for employers with 100 or more employees, which applies to Bloomingdale’s, has been going back and forth in the federal courts. These regulations allow some flexibility for employers. As of Friday December 17, a federal appeals court upheld the mandate (others have struck it down). The ruling is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. We will be discussing both President Biden’s OSHA regulations and the City mandate with Bloomingdale’s. The Union does not want you to risk insubordination or discipline and, as of now, Bloomingdale’s vaccine policy is in effect. Bloomingdale’s will be asking you to provide proof of vaccination so that they are compliant with the New York City mandate. Should you have any questions about this or need assistance filing for a reasonable accommodation, please contact RWDSU Local 3 at (212) 371 6230. Thank you for your patience during this time. In Union Solidarity, Local 3 United Storeworkers RWDSU/UFCW    

by RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum New York Amsterdam News Retail sales in the U.S. are already surging as holiday shoppers are checking their lists and buying their gifts for the 2021 holiday season. It’s important that consumers are returning to stores this holiday season, but we are also concerned about an alarming uptick in harassment and abuse directed at retail workers, especially this year. Retail workers in New York—including thousands of RWDSU members at stores including Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, H&M, Zara, Guitar Center, and more—are eager to welcome customers back into stores this holiday season. However, workers are experiencing increased aggression and poor treatment from stressed out shoppers. It’s been a tough time for retail workers in the U.S. and across the globe. Besides the risks to the health of workers and their families that’s hung over retail during the entire pandemic, violence, abuse, and harassment on the job skyrocketed. Tensions rose as stores and governments instituted mask, social distancing, and other COVID safety protocols, and retail workers bore the brunt of customers’ anger, often fueled by misinformation and extreme political rhetoric. Workers were yelled at, spat upon, coughed on, and worse. Some workers have even been shot at—and some murdered—by irrational customers over mask and COVID restrictions. This type of behavior toward retail workers needs to end, and can’t simply be shrugged off as “part of the job.” We owe it to these retail workers—who have courageously served us throughout the darkest days of the pandemic—to make this a stress-free holiday season. Even in the best of times, the holiday season is very stressful for workers at retail stores and supermarkets. Big crowds, irritable customers, hectic days and the need for workers themselves to take care of their own holiday obligations can all weigh heavily on workers’ shoulders this time of year. In 2021, however, with the pandemic still a part of our lives, this stress could be exponentially worse. All of this is aggravated by a shortage of goods caused by supply chain problems this holiday season. Retail workers can become the target of shoppers’ frustration when customers hear that coveted holiday items are stuck on shipping containers at sea and have been backordered for months, especially if they’ve gone to multiple stores only to go home empty-handed. This holiday season, we need to treat retail workers with dignity and respect, and we must understand that our own stress and the problems we are experiencing shouldn’t be placed on the shoulders of working people. Workers are not to blame. Stores should provide security, safety protocols and training to handle problems that may arise. It’s a time to come together this holiday season and do everything we can to reduce stress and anxiety for each other, and especially retail workers. A little extra kindness and understanding will go a very long way this holiday season.

Continue reading