Corporate Responsibility

New York -- In a long-awaited decision, the National Labor Relations Board has made it easier for contract workers and other temporary employees to more easily unionize.

Business groups and associations, including the National Retail Federation, criticized the decision.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores raised more than $217,000 for Make-A-Wish this past spring, when it held a two-week charitable program.

The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. is in the green again – at least when it comes to taking its sustainability responsibilities very seriously.

New York -- Walmart plans to stop selling AR-15 assault rifles and other modern sporting rifles, a move the company says is motivated not by politics but by falling consumer demand.

Walmart plans to stop selling certain types of assault and sporting rifles, the company said on Wednesday.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of demand for those products so we replaced them with products we have seen customers coming into purchase it," Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg told Fortune. 

The move comes as the largest seller of guns and ammunition in the U.S. has been a large part of the national gun debate following recent shootings.

Plano, Texas – The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. is in the green – green energy savings, that is.

The retailer on Wednesday announced the long-term results of various company initiatives that incorporate sustainability practices in its day-to-day business operations. It also said it would unveil a new energy initiative later this year.

Meijer is recognizing the need to fund hunger programs in the communities it serves with a new promotion.

Seattle – In the aftermath of the Ferguson riots, Starbucks Corp. asked store employees and managers to be extra sensitive to customers who may be feeling emotional about racial issues. Now Starbucks is asking workers in stores to show financial sensitivity.

According to Fusion, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sent an internal email to employees and managers in stores asking them to recognize and respond to customers who are experiencing stress and anxiety resulting from the recent global stock market crash.