(NEW YORK CITY) – During the final days of holiday shopping rush, Unionized 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.

The Workers, who were joined by fellow Union Members and community members in support of their walk-out, are demanding the company bargain in good faith.

Aaron Lascano, a Senior Bookseller, Barnes & Noble Union Square, said: "Over the past two months, Barnes and 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.”

Workers walked back on the job 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, the RWDSU said.

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.

On June 7th (2023) Workers at Barnes & Noble Union Square voted overwhelmingly (97%) to join the RWDSU.

There are now five Unionized Barnes & Noble locations across the country, and one Barnes & 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, sub-standard 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 - all issues they’re looking to address in their first Union contract.

Workers at Barnes & Noble Union Square began negotiations this Fall and have met a handful of times with the company, including most recently last with CEO James Daunt at the table.

If the company wants to live up to 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 contract in place to address workplace issues, as many independent bookstores in New York already do, the Union said. 

The RWDSU represents Workers across the Bookstore Industry, including Workers employed at McNally Jackson, Goods for the Study, Greenlight Bookstore and Book Culture, where wages are higher than those of corporate behemoth Barnes & Noble.

Barnes & Noble and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers are separate companies.

Barnes & Noble is a privately-held company headquartered in New York City.

The RWDSU represents 100,000 Members throughout the United States.

The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).

To Directly Access This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: UNION MEMBERS AT BARNES & NOBLE UNION SQUARE WALK OUT AND DEMAND THE COMPANY BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH — Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU)

Photo Courtesy Of The RWDSU’s Facebook Page.