On March 6, over 200 RWDSU/UFCW members who work at three Barnes & Noble stores in New York City ratified their first union contracts. These ratifications mark the first union contracts for Barnes & Noble workers in the nation and cover workers at the flagship Union Square store below the corporate headquarters and the West 82nd Street and Park Slope stores.
Safety was at the center of the organizing campaign 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.
The three-year contracts include the following provisions:
- 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 some 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 Health Care: union health care 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 and 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 three 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.
“The ratification of this contract represents three years of work at Barnes & Noble Union Square,” said Aaron Lascano (he/him), who is a senior bookseller at the Barnes & Noble Flagship store in 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.”
“I’m really excited to have a contract in place and to have a say in the conditions in which I work,” said Eve Greenlow (she/they), who is a bookseller at the West 82nd Street Barnes & Noble store. “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.”
“After over a year of struggle, it is great to see our store ratify a union contract,” said James Dolezal (he/him), who is a senior bookseller at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble store. “We fought hard for every inch, and I am proud of all my co-workers 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.”
“Workers at Barnes & Noble should be incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished together in these historic first union contracts,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum (he/him). “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 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. 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.”
