(NEW YORK CITY) – The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) has announced the ratification of first Union contracts at three New York City Barnes & Noble stores.

The Union, which represents nearly 40% of locations of large booksellers in the City, raised the standard for safety, wages and health care for their newest Members.

These are the first Union contracts for any Barnes & Noble Workers in the Nation and collectively cover more than 200 Workers across three New York City stores - including the Flagship Union Square store located below the company’s corporate headquarters.

Meanwhile, the RWDSU also announced that a tentative agreement has been reached at the Bloomington, Illinois Barnes & Noble Store, also represented by the RWDSU.

Safety was at the center of the organizing effort for the Barnes & Noble Workers.

During bargaining, the Union also pushed for the enactment of historic Retail Safety Legislation statewide, adding safety measures for Retail Workers, Union and not.

The safety gains in this first Union contract used 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.

Bear Spiegel, a Bookseller at the Barnes & Noble Flagship store in Union Square, said: “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 Co-Workers as safe as possible while we do our jobs!”

RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum said: “Workers at Barnes and 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. We can finally say those safety protections are codified in their Union contracts, which also include industry standard setting wage increases, Union health care, and more. A Union is the only way to ensure workplace protections are secure - especially now, while laws protecting Workers are under attack.”

For More On This Labor News Story And A List of Items Won In The Workers’ Barnes & Noble Contract, Including Wages, Go To: BARNES & NOBLE WORKERS WIN HISTORIC 1ST IN THE NATION UNION CONTRACT AT NYC STORES — Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU)