CODEY WANTS TO PROTECT ‘BIG BOX’ WORKERS FROM LOSING THEIR THANKSGIVING TO WORK ‘We Don’t Need A Black Thursday To Precede Black Friday’ TRENTON — With an increasing number of “big box” stores opening earlier and for longer hours on Thanksgiving, Senator Richard J. Codey said on Tuesday that he will consider advancing legislation that would prevent the stores from opening for business before 9:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. “The increased pressure among these stores to open earlier and stay open later cuts into their holiday or eliminates it altogether for the store workers,” said Senator Codey. “They are put in position to either work on Thanksgiving or risk losing their jobs. This would allow them to be with their families to give thanks, as other families do.” In Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island, blue laws prevent stores from opening earlier than midnight on Thanksgiving. Senator Codey noted that the voters in Bergen County have supported the county-wide ban on store business on Sundays. But as more and more stores open earlier and earlier, a big yearly survey of shoppers from the National Retail Federation suggests enthusiasm for Thanksgiving mall-crawling may be tempering some. Of those who say they will or may shop the weekend following the holiday, only 18.3 percent say they are eyeing Thanksgiving Day. That’s down more than 5 percent from last year. “We already have Black Friday to kick-off the shopping season, we don’t need a Black Thursday that replaces Thanksgiving,” said Senator Codey. “Consumers have a choice on whether to interrupt their holiday to go shopping but most employees don’t.” According to news reports, more than two dozen malls and outlets in New Jersey will open on Thanksgiving with some opening as early as 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. “Retail workers already work incredibly long hours during the holiday season, with some stores remaining open until midnight,” said Senator Codey. “Thanksgiving is the one day they get to spend with their families. Companies should put their workers needs over their own profits, at least for one day.”
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 18:53:49 +0000
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