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 […]
Unions
Employees at Barnes & Noble Education’s Rutgers Location Look to Become Chain’s First Union Store
Employees at a Barnes & Noble Education store on the campus of Rutgers University are petitioning to become the first unionized outlet among the chain’s 785 stores. Bloomberg reports that worker says most of the approximately 70 employees at the Rutgers store have signed on. Last Thursday that filed with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election on unionizing. The group wants to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The workers who spoke to Bloomberg indicated they seek better pay, job security and more stable work hour.
Harper Union Ratifies Contract; Will Return to Work Feb 21
Today the Harper Collins employee union ratified the tentative deal reached by management and union representatives last week. Striking staff will return to work on February 21. The new contract, which will be in effect through 2025, sets a minimum salary of $47,500 — meeting Macmillan and Hachette Book Group’s recently-increased base pay — which will then increase to $48,500 in 2024 and $50,000 in 2025. Bargaining unit employees will also receive one lump sum payment of $1,500, and “guaranteed annual increases for everyone rated above ‘unsatisfactory’.” The company remains an open shop but with strengthened union protections, including additional […]
Harper and Union Reach Tentative Agreement
Harper Collins and the union, which has been on strike for 66 business days — just under three calendar months — have reached a tentative agreement after mediation. “The tentative agreement includes increases to minimum salaries across levels throughout the term of the agreement, as well as a one time $1,500 lump sum bonus to be paid to bargaining unit employees following ratification,” a release states. Management and the union’s bargaining committee have agreed to the deal, which will be brought to a vote from the full union. If ratified, the contract will extend through the end of 2025.
Non-Union Harper Employees Discuss Workload, In-House Morale, and Solidarity
As the Harper Union marks its 64th business day picketing outside of the company’s financial district headquarters, many non-union employees inside the building feel similarly disheartened and burned out as they take on the jobs of striking colleagues in addition to their own hefty workloads, and process the news that 5 percent of their number will be laid off by the end of June. PL spoke to non-union (and non-executive) Harper employees in various book-facing departments, who asked to remain anonymous, about their experiences during the months of the strike. Employees report that they’ve been working late nights and on […]
Harper Collins and Union to Begin Mediation
Harper Collins and the employee union, which has been on strike for 56 working days, “have agreed to jointly engage an independent mediator in the hope of clearing a path forward,” the company said in a statement. They added: “We are hopeful that a mutually agreed upon mediator can help find the solutions that have eluded us so far. HarperCollins has had a union for 80 years, with a long history of successful and fair contract negotiations. The company has the exact same goal now, and is actively working to achieve it.” The company still also says that, “We entered […]