On Thursday, Barnes & Noble employees rallied outside of its flagship store and corporate headquarters in Union Square to demand their first contract be reached by the end of the year. The employees of the unionized stores in NYC–Union Square, Park Slope, and the Upper West Side–are members of RWDSU, and were joined by workers from other unionized bookstores including The Strand and McNally Jackson. “The company’s refusal to pay a fair wage has thus far prevented the union from settling the first union contracts and getting union benefits, healthcare, and protection from store closure and relocation,” the union said […]
Unions
Unionized BN Employees Protest At Bloomington, IL Store
Unionized employees at Barnes & Noble in Bloomington, IL walked off the job site to protest in front of the store for seven hours on October 11 over contract negotiations with the company. The union is asking for fair wages, healthcare and union benefits, protection from store closures, and more. This is the first time a B&N union in the midwest has gone on strike. Employees said in a local news report that the store is understaffed and not keeping up with the state’s minimum wage requirements. Senior bookseller Thaddeus Stoklasa said, “We are walking off the job today to […]
OUP Eliminates Two US Departments, Including Union Members
According to a release from the Oxford University Press union, the publisher has eliminated two teams in the US, design and content transformation and standards. The layoffs affect 13 members of the union, which represents about 150 employees and ratified its first contract in August. The guild was notified of the layoffs on September 4, and were told by the company that the last working day for affected employees would be October 4. The union has filed a grievance, asserting that the layoffs violate the collective bargaining agreement, “which protects historic union work from being relocated out of the unit.” […]
OUP USA Union to Strike on June 18
Members of the Oxford University Press USA union will stage a one-day strike on Tuesday, June 18, and will protest outside the company’s US headquarters from 8 AM – 12 PM. The union has made several claims that the company has violated US labor law. In March, the National Labor Relations Board found merit in the claims that OUP has moved work outside the bargaining unit by hiring non-union employees to replace union members who left the company. According to a union press release, the NLRB has not yet filed the official complaint. The union also asserts that the company […]
Seminary Co-op and 57th Street Books Unionize
Seminary Co-op and 57th Street Books announced that they have unionized. Management has voluntarily recognized the union. They write in the announcement, “The SCBU [Seminary Co-op Booksellers Union] is a branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). We share this exciting news in the spirit of joint commitment to these bookstores and the communities they serve. We look forward to continuing the work that sustains these invaluable institutions as we move forward together. See you in the stacks.”
Barnes & Noble Employees Claim Daunt Has Campaigned Against Union Votes
As workers at a number of individual Barnes & Noble stores vote to unionize — and as the chain itself embarks on a significant expansion of locations this year — employees tell the Guardian that ceo James Daunt has “embarked upon a months-long campaign to dissuade employees from voting in favor” of unionizing. They also “accuse the chain’s management of dragging their heels during contract negotiations.” Jessica Sepple, a bookseller at the flagship New York City store in Union Square, says: “He would come in and essentially try to talk us out of unionizing. The big argument against us unionizing […]