Sogo & Seibu dept. store labor union to go on rare strike in Tokyo

Workers represented by a labor union at Japanese department store operator Sogo & Seibu Co. will go on a rare strike at its flagship store in Tokyo, as its parent company remains committed to selling the chain to a U.S.-based investment fund despite their opposition to the buyout, the union said Wednesday.In the first such action by a major department store union in 61 years, around 900 union members at the Seibu Ikebukuro store will refrain from working on Thursday, the union said.In remarks to reporters, union head Yasuhiro Teraoka sought understanding from shoppers and business partners …READ FULL ARTICLE