FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 22, 2023
Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS UNION MEMBERS AT BARNES & NOBLE UNION SQUARE WALK OUT, RALLY OUTSIDE FLAGSHIP STORE AND DEMAND THE COMPANY BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH
(NEW YORK, NY) – Today, during the final days of holiday shopping rush, workers at Barnes & Noble who are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) stopped work and walked off the job to protest the company’s failure to return on economic portions of the contract amid their highest sales season. Workers joined by fellow union members and community members in support of their walk-out are demanding the company bargain in good faith.
"Over the past two months, Barnes & Noble has steadily refused to bargain with us in good faith. Their proposals get worse every time we meet, they neglected to even begin to address economic issues, and their demands include completely unreasonable asks. Would a company that respects its workers demand a contract that refuses us union representation, or that includes language for taking workers to court? That's what they want in this contract, and that's what we're fighting against,” said Aaron Lascano (He/Him), Senior Bookseller, Barnes & Noble Union Square.
“We are disappointed in how Barnes and Noble has chosen to conduct themselves. They have made threats against our membership for engaging in protected activities. Our CEO, who had never previously attended bargaining, arrived to our last negotiation session unprepared and without a formal response to proposals introduced weeks previous. Barnes and Noble has made it clear that they are disengaged from this process. But we, the Barnes and Noble Workers Union, are not. We are dedicated to creating a fair contract that will have a real impact on our membership's lives,” said Jessica Sepple (She/Her), Senior Bookseller, Barnes & Noble Union Square.
Workers walked back on the job later Friday, in an effort to serve their long-time customers holiday shopping needs, but the failure by Barnes & Noble to return on economic proposals remains at issue. Workers have not ruled out the possibility of future actions should the company fail to bargain in good faith or otherwise fail to return on economic or other contract provisions. Shoppers can support unionized Barnes & Noble workers on social media and in demanding the company come to the table in a real way.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
On June 7, 2023 workers at Barnes & Noble Union Square voted overwhelmingly (97%) to join the RWDSU. In just a few months time, there are now five unionized Barnes & Noble locations across the country, and one Barnes and Noble College Booksellers and those numbers are growing.
Workers at the store face 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. Issues they’re looking to address in their first union contract.
Workers at Barnes & Noble Union Square began negotiating their first union contract this Fall and have met a handful of times with the company, including most recently last week with CEO James Daunt at the table. If the company wants to live up to James Daunt’s vision of a well trained, knowledgeable sales team, and a shopping experience for customers that feels like a small bookstore, then workers need to be paid at least what small bookstores pay their workers and have a comprehensive union contract in place to address workplace issues, as many independent bookstores in New York already do.
The RWDSU represents workers across the bookstore industry including workers at McNally Jackson, Goods for the Study, Greenlight Bookstore and Book Culture, where wages are higher than those of corporate behemoth Barnes & Noble. The company can and must do better.
Barnes & Noble and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers are separate companies. Barnes & Noble is a privately held company headquartered in New York City. Barnes & Noble Education is publicly traded under BNED on the NYSE and is headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
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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.