By Kareem Johnson
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — Macy's workers overwhelmingly approved a new contract just days after threatening to strike, union representatives announced Thursday.
The deal for some 4,000 workers at four of department store's locations in the city and Westchester, including the Herald Square flagship, featured a $3.05 per hour raise over the next five years.
Union officials had said that wages at the stores were too low, in some cases, $7.50 an hour — just a quarter more than the state minimum wage of $7.25. A number also work without benefits.
Other contract guarantees include "more control over scheduling, guaranteed hours, and lower healthcare costs," the union said in a statement.
Members approved the deal by a 10-1 margin over the past several days with the last votes being tallied Wednesday night.
"This contract sends a message to workers throughout New York City: when working people stand together in a union, they can make real gains for themselves and their families," Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said in a statement.
Macy’s workers were close to a strike earlier this month as both sides worked to cut a deal before the contract expired on June 15.
The strike was averted through a tentative agreement on June 16.
Ken Bordieri, President of RWDSU Local 1-S said in a statement: "the contract will improve the lives of all these workers, who stood up and spoke in one unified voice during negotiations and fought for each other and what they knew was right."
