New York state mandates panic buttons for big retailers

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new law Thursday that requires retailers to increase safety protections for store workers, including requiring major chains to add panic buttons at all New York state locations.

Unions representing retail workers pushed for the new law, known as the Retail Worker Safety Act (RWSA), after high-profile shootings in the state and as some retail executives recently cited a spike in retail crime. detail – a claim that has been disputed. .

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The requirement to add panic buttons specifically to retail workplaces is the first of its kind among US states. While California passed similar but broader workplace requirements earlier this year, it did not impose panic buttons.

Walmart WMT.N, the National Retail Federation (NRF) and the New York State Food Industry Alliance (FIA) previously opposed the RWSA. Walmart argued against the panic button idea, citing concerns about the likelihood of false alarms. Others expressed concern about the associated costs.

Walmart and the FIA ​​declined to comment. The NRF deferred comment to the Retail Council of New York State, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In the past, retail groups have sent letters to the New York State Senate opposing panic buttons.

CONTEXT

The RWSA comes into force after 180 days. It requires, among other things, retailers with 10 or more employees to adopt a violence prevention plan and maintain records of violent incidents for at least three years.

It also requires retailers with 500 or more employees nationwide to install panic buttons in easily accessible locations or provide portable panic buttons or cell phone alarm devices to alert emergency officials.

This provision of the law will enter into force on January 1, 2027.

BY NUMBERS

There have been at least 40,900 complaints of retail theft in New York City so far this year, a 2.7 percent increase over last year, according to the New York Police Department.

US retailer Target also closed nine locations, including one in East Harlem, citing employee violence and retail theft as the main reasons.

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York; Editing by Sonali Paul)

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