The Politics and Prose employees’ union has been officially recognized, the store and UFCW Local 400 announced in a joint statement. Store owners Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine and the union will now negotiate a contract. According to DCist, Graham and Muscatine voluntarily recognized the union, which has 54 members in three store locations, on December 31 after previously deciding they would wait until a formal vote. In a release, Graham and Muscatine said: “As stewards of a local, independent business with a 37-year legacy of progressive management and mission, we’ve valued collaborating with employees to solve problems and address […]
Bookstores
In-Person Winter Institute Canceled
The American Booksellers Association canceled its plans for an in-person Winter Institute, originally scheduled for February 13-16 in Cincinnati. They will refund attendees’ registration fees in January, and will cancel hotel reservations at ABA hotels. The organization plans to announce updated programming details in the coming weeks. In a statement, the ABA said: “We have been full steam ahead with programming, planning, and safety precautions, but the rising number of COVID cases, the contagion of the new variant, and the hospital crisis in Ohio — including the National Guard being called in to assist understaffed hospitals — have forced us […]
Bookselling: Politics and Prose Owners Are Open To “Voluntary Recognition” Of Union
The owners of Washington D.C. bookstore Politics and Prose announced that they have approached union organizers to “open the way to a voluntary recognition of the union at P&P.” Co-owners Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine wrote in a statement on Wednesday, “Yesterday, we reached out to the union organizers in the spirit of collaboration to propose negotiations on the scope of a collective bargaining unit. Our hope is that these discussions will result in an agreement and open the way to a voluntary recognition of the union at P&P.” The statement continues, “We remain committed to providing a workplace in […]
Bookselling: Boston’s I AM Books Reopens
I AM Books in Boston has reopened in a new location the North End, after closing for a year due to the pandemic. The new space is more than three times the size of the original store, which first opened in 2015.
Bookselling: John W. Henry Invests In Harvard Book Store, Politics & Prose Owners Hires Labor Counsel
John W. Henry, principal owner of the Boston Globe and Fenway Sports Group (which owns the Red Sox) has invested in Harvard Book Store. The initial investment will be directed to “renovation projects for the existing bookstore” and updating the bookstore’s website “to provide a leading-edge e-commerce experience, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Harvard Book Store.” Future investments will go toward “other projects currently in planning stages to enhance the bookstore’s presence in Greater Boston’s literary landscape.” Henry said in a release, “We hope that our involvement will enable Harvard Book Store to build upon this legacy to better […]
Half Price Books Employees Vote to Unionize at Three Locations
Employees at Half Price Books locations in St. Paul, Roseville and Northtown (Coon Rapids), MN voted in favor of unionization on Thursday. They are the first HPB locations among over 120 outlets to win union recognition for their workers. Those unionized employees join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 663 and 1189. A St. Louis Park, MN location is in the middle of its own unionization vote; the NLRB will count those ballots on Jan. 3.