Workforce Management

New York City -- Macy's and some 4,000 of its New York-area workers said Thursday they have reached a tentative contract agreement after a night of negotiations.

The agreement, if ratified, will avert what could have been the department store chain's first strike in nearly 40 years.

"Following an all-night negotiating session, Macy's is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Local 1-S of the RWDSU on a new five-year agreement," Jim Sluzewski, Macy's spokesman, said.

New York City -- A Superior Court in Pennsylvania on Friday upheld a $187.6 million class action award against Wal-Mart Stores on allegations that its Pennsylvania employees were not properly compensated for off-the-clock work and missed rest breaks.

A panel said there was sufficient evidence at trial to conclude there had been a breach of contract, unjust enrichment and violations of state labor laws, the Associated Press reported.

New York City -- Local 1-S of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union announced that more than 4,000 union workers at Macy's Manhattan flagship and three other New York locations have voted to strike if a new contract is not reached by midnight on Wednesday.

The other stores are in the Bronx, Queens and Westchester County.

By Lindsey Lanzisero, [email protected] and Craig Rowley, [email protected]

It takes a special type of person to work at Walmart, according to chief information officer Rollin Ford, who told those assembled at the company’s shareholders’ meeting that customer service is in their DNA.

Ford, a 28-year Walmart executive, was called into service for a brief presentation at the meeting to recount his experience of working at Walmart while founder Sam Walton was still alive, since most of the thousands of store associates and many of the executives who attended the event joined the company after Walton death nearly 20 years ago.

Cary, N.C. -- The Pantry said Tuesday that its senior VP operations Brad Williams has decided to leave the company after 13 years.

The c-store operator said it has launched a search for a replacement. In the interim, operations personnel will report to Terry Marks, president and CEO.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- Kronos announced that Bi-Lo has renewed its contract for Kronos’ selection and hiring solution.

The Kronos solution is designed to allow Bi-Lo to identify candidates who are likely to perform better and stay longer. Also, hiring managers spend less time weeding out unqualified applicants and are able to fill positions more quickly.

Bloomfield Hills, Mich. -- Convenience-store operator GasAmerica is utilizing JobApp Network’s automated hiring management solution for c-stores. Following a phased approach, the Indiana-based chain has now completed rolling out the solution to all of its 86 locations.

According to GasAmerica, hiring success starts with JobApp, which makes it easy for people to apply around the clock.