1. The Retail Action Project
By Siddika Degia and Gia Carifo
December 15, 2016

2. Retail Industry One of largest industries in US
Employs 10-15% of workforce
Retail Workers Face
Unpredictable schedules
Part-time limbo
Arbitrary Rules
Stolen time and wage theft
Employers misuse of technology
Siddika

3. Quick History of RWDSU, UFCW
RWDSU formed in the early 20th century- during upsurge of unionism in the 1930
UFCW was formed in 1979 when Amalgamated Butcher workers and Retail Clerks merged.
UFCW and RWDSU merged as unionism in retail industry stagnated
RWDSU formed RAP in 2005, as a coalition with Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES)
Siddika

4. What is a Worker Center?
Created out of frustrations with collective bargaining and for protection of worker diversity.
Unlike traditional union organizing, worker centers bypass the complications of labor law in favor of creating a grassroots collective in voice and action.
NLRA and “labor organizations” clause.
Most are non-profit organizations, completely separated from unions.
RAP and CFLR are the exception.
Gia
Section 2 of the National Labor Relations Act includes a clause (commonly referred to the labor organization clause) that loosely defines the role of a “labor organization” (union) and its obligation to navigate the intricacies of labor law. The National Labor Relations Act defines a “labor organization” as “any organization of any kind or any agency or employees representation committee or plan, in which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions of work (NLRA, 1957).”
RAP is a labor organization, CFLR is a worker center.

5. RAP
RAP’s goal is to organize to fight against wage theft, discrimination, and improve the quality of retail jobs
One of RAP’s First Campaigns was Yellow Rat Bastard
Focus organizing, public policy, industry research and media outreach
Siddika

6. Structure: UFCW, RWDSU, RAP
Siddika

7. Center for Frontline Retail
The Center for Frontline Retail is a completely separate organization from RAP and RWDSU.
Non-profit organization, primarily funded by Make the Road New York and private contributions.
Prioritizes “awareness, leadership, and action to achieve quality employment in the retail sector.”
Hiring Events, Classes, and the Member Organizer Training program
Gia

8. Structure: CFRL, RAP, ROP
Gia

9. Some of the MOTs, (taken from RAP’s Website)

10. Our Experience at RAP
Phone banking for customer service training classes, visual merchandising classes, member meetings and some outreach.
Unfortunate schedule conflicts
Assisted mainly with recruiting for their Black Friday action.
Siddika and Gia
-1:30 left

11. Major issues Membership retention Funding
Lack of cohesion and communication amongst the workers.
Gia

12. Solutions
Workshops, services, and active care for participating members.
Greater development research, prioritizing a development expert/grant writer to get more funding for CFLR.
Regular training and workshops for staff that are mandatory
Have speakers come in
Attend local workshops
Build coalitions and work with other
Don’t get burnt out.
Siddika