NEW YORK (Reuters) – Talks between the union representing 4,000 workers at four New York City area Macy’s Inc stores, including its Herald Square flagship, and the company could continue past the midnight deadline on Wednesday to avert a strike at Macy’s for the first time since 1972.
The union is demanding better wages, pension and health benefits, and hours, saying that the department store chain’s recent sales and profit gains warrant improvements in their work conditions.
A union representative told Reuters that talks were still going on 10:30 pm ET and would likely continue past the midnight deadline, with a view to reaching a tentative deal by morning.
Any deal would then be put to a vote by union members, starting with the flagship’s workers.
“It’s a good sign that after intense negotiations, you still have both sides at the table,” the spokesman for the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), Dan Morris, told Reuters earlier on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for Macy’s did not immediately return a call for comment.
The current contract, signed in 2006, was extended by 45 days in early May, but expires at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. Talks are expected to go down to the wire.
Some workers at Macy’s
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