An Ohio lawmaker is seeking to triple employee wages in the state for those who work on Thanksgiving, a move that follows reports that major retailer Macy's is giving its workers the option to work on that day.

Cleveland Democrat Rep. Mike Foley is pushing a bill that would allow employees to opt out of working the holiday shift without incurring job sanctions, the Associated Press relayed.

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Foley said the inspiration for the bill came last year after a call from a Cincinnati resident who shared that she and her 82-year-old mother had been called to work retail shifts on Thanksgiving.

The Democratic lawmaker said he had been offended.

Shouldn't there be at least a day off from the "materialistic" and "consumerist society" that we're living in, Foley said.

Labor groups, including the U.S,' largest federation union - the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), have launched several campaigns against holiday employment this year.

The AFL-CIO is also reportedly pushing for shopping boycotts on Thanksgiving holiday, and the day after, often referred to as Gray Thursday and Black Friday, respectively.

About two dozen major retails open during Thanksgiving Day, including Macy's, Kmart, Target, Sears and Wal-Mart, say the consumers demand it.

Macy's spokesperson Jim Sluzewski said customers prefer to shop on Thanksgiving Day, citing figures from the National Retail Federation that recorded some 44 million Americans had shopped on the holiday last year, a 27 percent increase from 2012.

He said that based on a Macy's employee survey, many workers had appreciated the chance to work on Thanksgiving Day, adding that only full time volunteer employees are working the holiday shift this year and will be compensated accordingly based on an overtime rate of time-and-a-half.

Many Macy's employees said that working the Thanksgiving night and overnight shifts means they can spend time at home with family and friends on Black Friday, which is an unusual perk in the retail sector, Sluzewski added.

TagsOhio State, Cleveland Rep. Mike Foley, Democrat, Macy's, Retail industry, Black Friday, AFL-CIO, retail stores, holiday shift, National Retail Federation