Walmart Challenges New York’s Proposed Safety Law Requiring Store Upgrades

Walmart is opposing a proposed New York state law, the Retail Worker Safety Act, which mandates significant safety upgrades including the installation of panic buttons in large retail stores. The company argues that the cost of complying with the law would be prohibitively expensive and questions the effectiveness of such measures in protecting employees. The law, which recently passed the New York State Senate, is awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature to be enacted. It targets retailers with 500 or more employees nationwide, requiring them to adopt a fast alert system for emergencies among other safety measures. While Walmart criticizes the law for potentially leading to more false alarms than real emergencies, supporters, including labor unions and state officials, argue it’s a necessary step to enhance worker safety amidst rising retail crime. If signed into law, affected companies will have until 2027 to implement the changes.