A bill passed by the New York legislature last week intended to increase retail worker safety and prevent workplace violence is causing a stir, as one major retailer has already said it heartily opposes it.

In a certain section of the Retail Worker Safety Act, which has yet to be signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, access to panic buttons in New York locations of retail stores with 500 or more employees nationwide is required.

The panic button would either be a physical button installed throughout the workplace or a wearable or mobile phone-based button installed on employee equipment which, when pressed, would immediately contact local emergency services, provide the employee’s location information and dispatch local law enforcement to the store, according to the bill’s text.

The wearable or mobile buttons would only track employee locations when triggered.

Walmart, the Arkansas-based retail giant, opposed this element of the legislation because the company believes there’s likely to be too many false alarms, according to Reuters’ conversation with Walmart executive vice president of corporate affairs, Dan Bartlett.

Here’s what to know about the bill.

What else would the NY retail safety bill require?

In addition to the panic button component, the Retail Worker Safety Act requires retail employers to implement programs to prevent workplace violence and provide training on such programs for employees.

The New York State Department of Labor would create a model workplace violence prevention policy for employers to use, which includes a list of factors or situations that might place retail employees at risk of workplace violence and methods employers may use to prevent incidents of workplace violence. The policy will be reevaluated every four years and updated as needed.

Employers would also utilize a training program created by the Department of Labor, which includes de-escalation tactics, active shooter drills and instruction on the use of security alarms, panic buttons and other related emergency devices. The training would be provided to all retail employees upon hire and on an annual basis after.

Would this retail safety bill apply to grocery stores?

The bill’s defines “retail store” as a store that “sells consumer commodities at retail and which is not primarily engaged in the sale of food for consumption on the premises.”

It’s unclear whether this definition would exclude grocery stores like Wegmans or Tops from the bill’s requirements — a question New Yorkers may have, given the 2022 shooting where a gunman killed 10 people inside a Buffalo Tops store.

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What supporters and opponents are saying

Some retail groups are pointing to the price tag of installation being too hefty, Reuters said, while others are worried it lacks clarity.

“We remain concerned with the panic button mandate and its effectiveness to help protect retail workers and consumers,” Food Industry Alliance of New York State president and CEO Mike Durant said. “As employee and public safety are of paramount importance to our industry, we are going to be discussing the provisions within this legislation with our members further and work to ensure any mandate will be an effective approach.”

But the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents over 100,000 workers throughout the U.S., says it will help protect retail workers from workplace violence.

A survey conducted of RWDSU members related to workplace violence found over 80% of respondents are worried about an active shooter coming into their workplace and nearly three fourths of respondents would feel safer if they received regular training on how to be safe in the workplace.

“(Friday)’s passage of the Retail Worker Safety Act by the State Senate is a critical step towards common sense safety measures for retail workers across New York,” RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum said in a press release Friday. “Retail workers should not go to work every day in fear. Let’s tackle the issue of retail workplace safety and swiftly sign the Retail Worker Safety Act into law now!”

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When NY retail safety bill would go into effect

The bill, if signed by Hochul, would go into effect 180 days after it becomes law. However, the panic button part of the legislation would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2027.

Emily Barnes is the New York State Team consumer advocate reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Barnes at ebarnes@gannett.com or on Twitter @byemilybarnes.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Major retailer speaks out against NY panic button legislation. Why?