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Workers at Union Square Barnes & Noble push for unionization
By
Elizabeth Shwe
Published Apr 29, 2023
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By
Elizabeth Shwe
Published Apr 29, 2023
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Workers at the Barnes & Noble’s flagship store in Union Square are petitioning to unionize, shortly after those at the Barnes & Noble Education store on Rutgers University’s campus in New Jersey made a similar push earlier this month.
Employees at the Union Square store filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board on Friday, hoping to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. RWDSU also represents other booksellers in New York City such as McNally Jackson and Greenlight Bookstore.
According to workers, the petition came hours after management at Barnes & Noble chose not to voluntarily recognize the union. A Barnes & Noble spokesperson declined to comment. .
“We’re stretched thin, and with a union we’d win the pay, needed benefits and long-overdue training and safety resources we need to attract more co-workers and adequately staff the store so our customers have a safer and better experience shopping with us,” said Desiree Nelson, a lead bookseller at the Union Square store.
Nelson said workers do not receive proper training to handle conflicts at the store, such as those that arise with homeless people and combative customers. She said conflicts have increased as the city recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four-story Barnes & Noble at Union Square is also short staffed, so employees have to be trained in different areas but are not fairly compensated for the workload, Nelson said.
Zephyr Caulfield, a part-time bookseller, said he works full-time hours but hasn’t been promoted from a part-time employee — a position that is not eligible for benefits and makes minimum wage.
“It’s not just about the money, it’s about security, it’s about benefits, it’s about being properly compensated for the work that we do and the hours that we put in and being able to control our hours,” said Caulfield, an undergraduate student in his last semester at NYU.
A date for the election has not yet been set, but if it's successful, Caulfield said he hopes to see changes in the ability to self-advocate.
“We don’t have a voice, and even if we go to our management they don’t have the jurisdiction to give us anything that we ask for — it always has to come from corporate,” he said.
The proposed bargaining units at Barnes & Noble Union Square store include 100 booksellers, baristas, cashiers and other non-supervisory employees.
Earlier this month, the Barnes & Noble store on Rutgers University's campus also petitioned for a union election, which will happen on May 12. It came on the heels of a historic five day faculty strike at New Jersey’s flagship public university, which ended after Gov. Phil Murphy intervened and university administrators and unions agreed to a contract.
Workers at the Barnes & Noble in Hadley, Massachusetts also filed for their union election two weeks after the Rutgers store did.
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barnes and noble
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Elizabeth Shwe
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