“We look forward to the State Assembly passing this legislation and Governor Hochul signing it into law.”
ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) released a statement in response to the New York State Senate passing Senate Bill S8616A, the Protecting Consumers and Jobs from Discriminatory Pricing Act, which would ban surveillance pricing and electronic shelf labels (ESLs) from grocery stores across New York. This comes after recent polling shows that New Yorkers overwhelmingly support a ban on these technologies that threaten to drive up grocery costs.
UFCW International Vice President Ademola Oyefeso said:
“Passing the Protecting Consumers and Jobs from Discriminatory Pricing Act means New York will become the first state in the country to ban electronic shelf labels, which makes surveillance pricing possible. This technology is only good for one thing: higher prices. New York’s comprehensive approach is the sole way to protect New Yorkers from predatory pricing in grocery stores.
“Thanks to the tireless work of Deputy Leader Gianaris, who sponsored this bill, and Leader Stewart-Cousins, New York families will be able to buy their groceries knowing that companies are not using AI and digital surveillance to rip them off in the aisles. We applaud the State Senate, which seized this opportunity to protect consumers and workers from an affordability crisis not of their making. We look forward to the State Assembly passing this legislation and Governor Hochul signing it into law.”
Email press@ufcw.org to speak with a spokesperson about the New York legislation and the threat that ESLs and surveillance pricing pose to fair grocery prices and good, union jobs.
BACKGROUND
- Recent polling found that 64 percent of New York voters think ESLs and 69 percent think surveillance pricing will cause grocery prices to increase. Support for proposed legislation in the state cut across party lines, with 66 percent in favor of banning this technology in grocery stores. More than 70 percent of New Yorkers worry about the cost of groceries for their household.
- ESLs enable retailers to change prices instantaneously, and corporations are racing to deploy them. Walmart, for example, plans to replace traditional paper price tags with digital ones across all of its stores by the end of 2026. The corporation also recently secured patents to use shoppers’ personal data to update prices at scale.
- ESLs also threaten the livelihoods of grocery workers. These systems could replace the skilled work of grocery clerks or, at the very least, leave them to explain a company’s actions to rightfully angry shoppers. The UFCW represents more than 800,000 grocery workers across North America. UFCW members are essential to keeping our communities fed, and they know how disruptive ESLs could be for workers and shoppers alike.
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The UFCW International is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in grocery, meatpacking, food processing, healthcare, cannabis, retail, and other essential industries. UFCW members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.