Labor & Employment

Hudson's Bay Co. has appointed Dion Rooney to executive VP, HBC digital. Rooney will be responsible for leading the HBC digital business and delivering online experience across all banners.

Rooney brings more than 30 years of senior experience in the IT field. Prior to joining HBC, Rooney served as CIO of Toys “R” Us, where he was instrumental in building a global state-of-the-art omni-channel offering. He has been developing e-commerce strategies and building digital businesses for more than a decade.

Home furnishings retailer Havertys reported that Gary Niedermeyer, assistant VP, supply chain, will retire at the end of 2015. He will be succeeded by Abir Thakurta, who will report to Richard D. Gallagher, executive VP, merchandising.

Abir Thakurta joins Havertys with considerable experience in cross-industry supply chain strategy and operational design. He was most recently with GT Nexus as a director in their supply chain consulting practice where he implemented performance improvement programs with retailers worldwide.

More associates working more hours to elevate the customer experience is the pledge Walmart COO Judith McKenna is making to holiday shoppers this season.

The day after Kohl’s, Toys “R” Us and UPS announced ambitious holiday hiring plans, Walmart said it would add 60,000 seasonal workers after giving existing workers the opportunity to pick up extra hours.

A group of pharmacy workers within Target Corp's store in Brooklyn, N.Y., have won a vote to form a micro-union, making it the first unionized store at the retailer since its inception in 1902, according to Reuters.

A group of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians won an initial ballot, 7-2, to form the union, according to a filing on the National Labor Relations Board website and union officials, the report said.

A group of pharmacy workers within Target Corp's store in Brooklyn, N.Y., have won a vote to form a microunion, making it the first unionized store at the retailer since its inception in 1902, according to Reuters.

Reuters was first to report on Wednesday that a group of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians won an initial ballot, 7-2, to form the union, according to a filing on the National Labor Relations Board website and union officials.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is questioning whether to use a broader definition of the term “joint employer,” a move that could bring sweeping changes to the restaurant and retail/wholesale franchisor model. Whether a large fast-food company exhibited more control than it should have over its franchisees was the most recent catalyst for the proposed change, but several earlier cases have challenged the more than 30-year-old standard for determining joint employment.

Toys “R” Us and Kohl’s are among the first retailers to announce their holiday hiring plans this year, and the numbers are more or less the same as last year for both companies.

Toys “R” Us plans to hire 40,000 employees at its stores and distribution centers throughout the country (about 5,000 less than last year). The retailer also plans to allow seasonal workers the opportunity to take on significantly more hours than in previous years, while also continuing to provide extra hours to current employees.

It is the season before the season when retailer revelations about plans to hire temporary workers offer insight into holiday expectations. One of the best indicators of what to expect this Christmas comes courtesy of UPS.

UPS said it plans to hire between 90,000 and 95,000 seasonal employees (about the same as last year) to support the anticipated increase in package volume that will begin in November and continue through January 2016.