FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 6, 2025
CONTACT: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
BARNES & NOBLE WORKERS WIN HISTORIC 1ST IN THE NATION UNION CONTRACTS AT NYC STORES
Bloomington, Illinois Barnes & Noble Workers also Reach Tentative Agreement on 1st Contract – Ratification Vote Scheduled for Saturday
Contracts Include Major Safety Wins for Retail Workers, Industry Setting Wages & RWDSU Health Coverage
(NEW YORK, NY) – Today, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) announced the ratification of first union contracts at three New York City Barnes & Noble stores. The union, which represents nearly 40 percent of locations of large booksellers in the city, raised the standard for safety, wages, and healthcare for their newest union members. These are the first union contracts for any Barnes & Noble workers in the nation and collectively cover over 200 workers across three New York City stores including the Flagship Union Square store below the corporate headquarters. The union also announced that a tentative agreement has been reached at the Bloomington, Illinois Barnes & Noble Store, also represented by the RWDSU, which they anticipate will be voted in on Saturday as well.
Safety was at the center of the organizing for workers at Barnes & Noble. During bargaining, the union was also pushing for the enactment of the historic retail safety legislation statewide, adding safety measures for retail workers, union and not. The safety gains in this first union contract use the Retail Worker Safety Act as a floor, but go well beyond the law – a standard retailers across the industry can look to as to how to better protect workers.
In addition to the added general protections a union contract provides, workers at Barnes & Noble’s Union Square Flagship, West 82nd Street, and Park Slope, New York City stores have secured the following in their new three-year agreements:
Wage Increases: over negotiations, workers’ organizing and solidarity raised the minimum starting wage by $4.00 before this new contract even goes into effect. The general wage increase (GWI) over the term of the contract is $1.00 per year. The minimum wage scale also increases by $1.00 each year of the contract for all classifications, which will bring the minimum for new hires to between $23.00 to $25.00 (depending on the level of classification by the end of the contract) and they’ll also receive, in addition, the GWI.
RWDSU Healthcare: union healthcare coverage.
Safety equipment: back braces, wrist guards, anti-slip mats for the Cafe area, stools for workers to sit at every information desk and cash register, and on the sales floor, booksellers and baristas will be allowed to sit to get relief when needed.
Safety language: that protects the workers, including a safety committee, de-escalation trainings, the ability to walk away from unsafe situations without fear of reprisal, and a clear process of banning customers who harass or behave inappropriately towards workers.
Late Night Transport: paid auto transport during late inventory shifts.
Seniority & Layoff Protections: for transferring to other Barnes & Noble stores covered by RWDSU.
Job Security: if the store closes and relocates elsewhere.
Pay Security: for store emergency closing situations.
A New Breakroom: a conference room will be turned into a breakroom for workers to have lunch instead of the small closet in the basement with 3 chairs workers were previously permitted to use for a staff of 120 workers at the Union Square store.
New Trainings: annual anti-discrimination and other trainings.
Barnes & Noble locations with ratified contracts:
Union Square Flagship, New York Store: 33 E 17th St, New York, NY 10003
Park Slope, Brooklyn Store: 267 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
West 82nd Street, New York Store: 2289 Broadway, New York, NY 10024
“Workers at Barnes & Noble should be incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished together in these historic first union contracts. United in their fight for increased safety in their stores, it was their voices among others across our union that won increased protections for everyone in the industry through the Retail Worker Safety Act. Today, we can finally say those safety protections are codified in their union contracts, which also include industry standard setting wage increases, union healthcare, and more. A union is the only way to ensure workplace protections are secure – especially now, while laws protecting workers are under attack. This shows fair contracts can be reached in a reasonable time; if only REI could take a page out of Barnes & Noble’s book, more retail workers could have the protections of a union contract with RWDSU – at a time when it's needed now more than ever,” said Stuart Appelbaum (He/Him), President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
“Finally having a ratified contract is immeasurably meaningful. The bargaining committee and the unit as a whole have put so much into securing our rights and that work is finally paying off. I’m most excited about the many safety provisions we were able to include in the contract in order to keep me and my coworkers as safe as possible while we do our jobs!” said Bear Spiegel, (He/Him), Bookseller at the Barnes & Noble Flagship store in Union Square, New York City.
“The ratification of this contract represents three years of work at Barnes & Noble Union Square. When we started organizing, we were making minimum wage in unacceptable work conditions. The contract we voted on today was fought for and won by the workers of this store. Now, we're looking forward to finally having guaranteed raises, excellent union health care coverage, protections from layoffs and store closure, and so much more. Finally, with a union contract, workers can feel secure in their careers as booksellers, baristas, and more,” said Aaron Lascano (He/Him), Senior Bookseller at the Barnes & Noble Flagship store in Union Square, New York City.
“After over a year of struggle, it is great to see our store ratify a union contract. We fought hard for every inch, and I am proud of all my coworkers who showed up to make their voices heard. Every contract ratified is a step toward ensuring that bookstore employees are treated with the respect we deserve,” said James Dolezal (He/Him), Senior Bookseller at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble store.
“I’m really excited to have a contract in place and to have a say in the conditions in which I work. To be a part of the first ever union contract with Barnes & Noble feels like I’m a part of history! I’m really pleased with having secured access to chairs, as well as improved job security with the recall language we implemented. There is still a lot more work to be done, but for a first contract I’m really proud of what we were able to accomplish,” said Eve Greenlow (She/They), Bookseller at the West 82nd Street, New York Barnes & Noble Store.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
The contracts are individual to each store and have some slight specifications to each store. The votes to ratify the contracts were conducted onsite in three separate votes on the following dates:
Union Square Flagship Store: March 3, 2025
Park Slope, Brooklyn Store: March 4, 2025
West 82nd Street, New York Store: March 5, 2025
Workers voted overwhelmingly to be represented by the RWDSU in NLRB conducted elections at each store on the following dates:
Union Square Flagship Store: June 7, 2023
Park Slope, Brooklyn Store: June 29, 2023
West 82nd Street, New York Store: March 14, 2024
The vote to ratify the contract at the Bloomington, Illinois store will take place on Saturday, March 8, 2025, workers won their union in an NLRB election there on November 20, 2023.
Over the past year, organizing has spread like wildfire and there are now seven unionized Barnes & Noble Inc. locations across the country, and those numbers are growing. Workers at Barnes & Nobles stores nationwide face continued safety issues, including workplace harassment, in addition to substandard pay, unstable scheduling practices, a lack of structure when it comes to job duties and tasks at work, and favoritism by management – all issues addressed in these first union contracts.
The RWDSU also represents workers across the bookstore industry including workers at McNally Jackson and Goods for the Study, Greenlight Bookstore and Yours Truly, Brooklyn, and Book Culture, all members of RWDSU Local 1102. In New York City, with our fellow union members at the Strand who are members of UAW 2179, together we represent about 40% of locations of the major corporate and independent chain bookstores in the city.
During the holiday shopping season, bookstore workers across New York City rallied together to raise industry standards. Workers at the Strand and McNally Jackson were also able to reach strong contracts banding together with Barnes & Noble workers in recent months.
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Barnes & Noble Inc. workers are organized at seven stores across the United States to date. For more information, please visit our website at www.barnesandnobleunion.org or follow us on Instagram or Twitter.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW Twitter:@RWDSU.