FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 5, 2026
Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
2026 HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON STATEMENT FROM RWDSU
(NEW YORK, NY) – As the holiday shopping season gets underway with Amazon Prime shopping beginning this week, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) issued the following statement urging that workers across the supply chain, from retail store counters and e-commerce fulfillment centers to farms, food processing, and distribution hubs, be treated with dignity, safety, and respect:
“The holiday season has always been tough on retail workers, but right now we’re at a breaking point. Prices are high, stores are short-staffed, and constant AI monitoring and surveillance are tracking every second of the workday and beyond. Workers across the entire supply chain are bearing the brunt of a system that pushes them past their limits.
“Retail workers don’t control empty shelves or long checkout lines, and they shouldn't have to face the dangers of a peak season on their own. Across the country, store employees are dealing with verbal abuse, harassment, and even physical violence from angry shoppers. Nobody should have to fear for their safety just showing up to work. Employers need to step up with real security, proper and safe staffing levels, and enforceable protocols to handle hostile situations. And to the public, remember this: basic kindness costs nothing, but it means everything to someone working back-to-back shifts.
“In e-commerce warehouses, the situation is just as harsh, yet often unseen. At massive fulfillment centers like Amazon, employees aren't treated like human beings, they’re treated like cogs in a machine. Algorithmic surveillance tracks every movement and every bathroom break to enforce impossible, moving targets. Algorithms fire and discipline people without any human review, driving workers into mandatory overtime and physical burnout. Amazon and big e-commerce employers need to rein in these quotas, be honest about the data they collect, stop hiding behind software, and end the union-busting that keeps workers from having a say.
“We also must continue to push for fairness and safety standards for the people who make our holiday meals and deliveries possible, the farmworkers, food processors, warehouse crews, and drivers working through freezing cold and dangerous conditions. They deserve safe workplaces, fair wages, and a union voice on the job.
“On top of that, retailers and logistics companies are starting to use AI not just to monitor staff, but to replace human workers entirely. Cutting jobs to boost profit margins hurts customer service, destroys good community jobs, and dumps twice as much work onto the people left behind.
“Technology needs to serve working people – not wipe out their livelihoods, exploit their labor, or invade their privacy. An algorithm cannot replace human dignity, safety, and respect, and worker data shouldn't be hoarded as corporate property. This season, employers need to stop spying on their staff and wringing every last drop of labor out of them, and start treating them with the respect and pay they’ve earned. We wish a joyful holiday season to our members, their families, and the public – this year and every year,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
# # #
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW, Twitter:@RWDSU, Instagram: @rwdsustrong.