Following the successful unionization of stores in Hadley, MA and Union Square, NYC, the Barnes & Noble in Park Slope Brooklyn voted 88 percent in favor of unionizing, after announcing their intent in May. Like the chain’s other locations, the store joins the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The union now will go into contract negotiation with management, planning to address “continued safety issues amid the rebound of New York City post-pandemic including workplace harassment, substandard pay for the industry below that of independent booksellers, unstable scheduling practices, a lack of structure when it comes to job duties and tasks […]
Unions
B&N Union Square Forms Chain’s Second Union
Booksellers and baristas at the Union Square, NYC Barnes & Noble voted to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, with 97 percent of the workers in favor. The union will represent more than 100 non-supervisory employees and contract negotiations will happen this year. “I am so proud of my coworkers and excited to move forward as a unionized bookstore and a member of RWDSU,” senior bookseller Jessica Sepple said. “We still have work ahead of ourselves, but today we have shown how dedicated we are to improving our store for ourselves and each other. We are ready to […]
B&N in Hadley, MA Votes to Unionize; Park Slope Employees Are the Next to Try
Eleven booksellers and baristas at the Barnes & Noble in Hadley, MA voted unanimously to unionize on Thursday. They will join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459 and move on to negotiating a contract with management. This marks the first union at a Barnes & Noble retail store. In April, the workers sent a letter to B&N ceo James Daunt, citing low pay, inconsistent schedules, lack of communication from management, and lack of accessibility in the store. Separately, approximately 30 employees at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Park Slope notified management of their intention to unionize and join the Retail, Wholesale […]
Rutgers BNED Employees Win Union Vote
Workers at the Barnes & Noble College store at Rutgers University in New Jersey voted unanimously to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The union represents approximately 70 booksellers, baristas, cashiers, and non-supervisory employees. The union now moves to negotiate a contract with management, planning to address, “continued safety issues amid the rebound of the pandemic including workplace harassment, substandard pay for the industry below that of independent booksellers, unstable scheduling practices, a lack of structure when it comes to job duties and tasks at work, and favoritism by management.”
Workers at B&N Union Square Announce Union
Workers at Barnes & Noble’s Union Square flagship store–the same New York building where the corporate offices are located–announced plans to unionize. They have filed for election with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which also represents workers at McNally Jackson, Book Culture, and Greenlight Bookstore. According to the union, the majority of employees signed union authorization cards, and on April 28 they announced their plans at the store and asked for voluntary recognition from management, which has not yet responded. A release from RWDSU states, “Workers at the store face continued safety issues amid the rebound of […]
Workers at B&N in Hadley, MA Announce Union Effort
Workers at Barnes & Noble in Hadley, MA have announced their intention to unionize, becoming the chain’s first location to do so. (The story reporting on the union is a little confused; workers at Rutgers University outlet of Barnes & Noble College, a completely separate company, also announced a union effort by their 70 employees recently). The Hadley union would represent 18 workers, including booksellers and baristas. The Shoestring reports, “They are organizing with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459 around a handful of key issues, from low pay and inadequate hours to a lack of accessibility inside the […]