Adam Ryan, 31, has worked at Target in Christiansburg, Virginia, for three years. "I have to live with my family because I can't afford rent on my own. I don't have health insurance. Target has told me I don't qualify for their benefits because I don't get enough hours," said Ryan, who is also an organizer with Target Workers Unite, an independent initiative of Target workers. He makes $13 an hour, the hourly minimum wage at Target since June 2022, which is scheduled to increase to $15 an hour by the end of 2023.
But Ryan and several other Target workers say Target is cutting their schedules and doubling their workload as it increases minimum wage under its ‘modernization plan' to increase efficiency. They think that broader influences in the retail sector (零售业) are responsible for their difficulty – especially, the actions of their hard-charging rival Amazon.
"They're responding to what Amazon is doing," Ryan added. "They are trying to turn these stores into their own distribution centers, using brick-and-mortar stores (实体店). We have to be warehouse workers and customer service workers. "
Target Workers Unite recently released a survey of more than 500 Target workers around the US, representing 382 different stores in 44 states. Only 12. 7% of the workers who responded said they could survive on the wages from Target alone, with 56% of workers citing they have ran out of food while employed at Target, and 12. 8% of workers reported experiencing homelessness.
The survey also provides some insight into Target's opposition to workers organizing. Many workers surveyed report they have been scolded by management for discussing workplace issues in the store or on social media.
As Target workers report struggling to make ends meet while experiencing cuts to their schedules, loss of benefits, and increased workloads, Target reported record share prices (股价) at the end of 2022, consistently beating predictions of sales and profits in 2022 and finding a balance between physical stores and digital commerce. The retail chain is ranked the eighth-largest retail corporation in the US based on sales. Target is preparing for the arguments against the workers' survey's finding and claims from workers over working conditions and schedule cuts.
