Why Barnes & Noble Workers Formed Their First Union

Barnes & Noble workers in Massachusetts just won the first-ever union at the book-selling giant.
The vote was unanimous, extending a wave of union victories among retail workers around the country.
We talked to Barnes & Noble employees in Hadley, MA about their successful organizing drive and workers at the Barnes & Noble flagship store in New York City about their fight to form a union.
Workers in Hadley organized with UFCW. Workers at NYC’s Union Square store organized with RWDSU.
#labor #union #barnesandnoble #workersrights
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[@NateHatch]

Young unionizers are changing the world right now, it's so encouraging.

[@Persephales]

GO GIRLS GO!!!!

[@reedraikes7471]

Teamster here, hoping we strike and show fellow working class members that collective bargaining does work. They don't make money without us, matter of fact, they lose money without us

[@Sandy-o]

We love to see it!! 👏🏽 👏🏽

[@TheRuralUrbanist]

Damn, managing not only to overcome Barnes & Noble but ALSO STARBUCKS!!! Good work guys!!!

[@TimothyCHenderson]

As someone who used to work in retail management, I witnessed the whittling down of the work force, both in management and non-management staff over many years. When I left, there were stores that were operating with less than half the leadership team they would have had 12 years ago and significantly less non-management staff as well. It does all come down to HQ and their willingness to fund their stores properly. The business class is so beholden to stock prices, dividends and payouts that they've lost touch with the core of their business models and the services they provide. It's worth it to remember that a lot of retail management jobs are only a few dollars above minimum wage. Retail and service in general are difficult jobs. Congratulations to these young people for unionizing. What would happen if all the billionaires in the US decided to stop working? Now what would happen if everyone in the service industry decided to stop working? These workers are discovering the truth, that the top 1% is heavily dependent on the rest of us, not the other way around. It's just easier to organize when you're the 1% versus the billions.

[@nicholaslennon]

I really hope my generation keeps getting angry. Unions need to make a return. Modern corporations only respond when their profits are on the line.

[@georginatoland]

B&N has always been awful. Back in the 90s, our store was robbed TWICE. The response from corporate was a fruit basket. A. FRUIT. BASKET. Eventually they hired a free floating security guard. Who freely floated around one particularly attractive employee. (I reported it immediately.)

[@toriitoraa]

And then they freely floating away from the store 😂 (forcefully)

[@cococock2418]

You are exactly the type of person people despise at work. You probably have a personal seat in the HR office since you’re in there so much tattle tale’ing on people

[@kbhasi]

That sounds to me like they had the message immediately forwarded to a poorly-coded AI powered bot or an underpaid employee.

[@cynthialangley7338]

I have a close relative who worked at Barnes and Noble in Massachusetts for many years. It was a nightmare job. She was treated disrespectfully and subjected to ageism. There was no concern for ergonomics, and her body was continuously stressed completely unnecessarily because of the whims of management. I used to like Barnes and Noble, but I no longer shop there.

[@FireHill20]

Where do you get your books ?

[@TheBLGL]

@@FireHill20 the library

[@FireHill20]

@@TheBLGL ok

[@Kittymancer78]

@@FireHill20 I totally agree the library is the best place to get books and they also have online resources for us to borrow books that increases the number of books available to borrow. But if you need to purchase a book look up independent book sellers in your area. If the closes is still to far, call them, because there is a website that works with independent book stores. If I'm not mistaken the book store get a percentage of each book sold that way or something like that.

[@x77punk77x]

A sad thing is in the retail sector, companies like B&N and Starbucks are often considered coveted employers to work for. Please cover abusive/exploitative small businesses btw - particularly in sectors like restaurant/hospitality which are awful to vulnerable workers. Two words: WAGE THEFT

[@WanderingExistence]

Wage labor is renting yourself via "self ownership". Employment is literally renting another human being as if they're property. The employer-employee relationship is a very insidious dynamic. Employment is a rental contract, like if you rented capital (say, a chainsaw from Home Depot), you pay rent for the "time preference" (basically the cost of time) for a piece of property. Capitalism is based on a principle of self ownership, which sounds empowering, until you realize that most people don't own capital goods other than themselves, and must rent out the authority over themselves as pieces of "human capital". This is a process of dehumanization where human beings are valued for their return on investment as capital goods. This is why, at the very least, capitalism needs unions and safety nets (or abolishment), or else the system won't value people for their human value. Importantly we must also think about our sick, elderly, and disabled people, as they can't provide competitive economic return for the investor class to value. We must figure out a way to change this economic system if we wish to value each other.

[@franklyanogre00000]

Bologna

[@PerkpopperDotcom-qu3hk]

@@franklyanogre00000 that’s All you have to say, kinda dim if you ask me

[@JohnT.4321]

Changing the economic system would require workers to organize for that change. Not just for collective bargaining. Workers need understand the power of organizing into socialist industrial unions. They also have to organize politically to back that union. A political party that would protect workers from the power mad capitalists and to reorganize society into a cooperative commonwealth.

[@00TheD]

Found the 18 year old

[@Dillon-117]

It's not ownership. It's your time and skill for money. There's a huge difference.

[@galaxyboi22]

Good they deserve it ❤️

[@Arguewithyourmom]

Unions will end up costing corporations more than if they had just done the right thing on their own from the beginning. I love that!

[@nicksurfs1]

I’m so stinking proud of these zoomers starting unions!! It warms my heart. If you have merch I want it. If you have a strike fund lmk so I can throw my dollars at you!

[@davidpachecogarcia]

If companies can’t self regulate themselves to provide adequate working conditions, bully them till the do! 👏👏👏

[@JoeD908]

Keep pushing guys, absolutely love it! ✊️✊️

[@robinlindberg6339]

Well you should see what many of these companies are doing to caregivers. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@annetreacy2437]

I was a caregiver. They desperately need to unionize.

[@robinlindberg6339]

@@annetreacy2437 Here in Minnesota, they did unionize. But it all seemed to fall apart as soon as it started. I asked around and many said they couldn't afford, or want to pay the union dues. There was a big effort to get it started and painful to see it just disappear. I guess it's just to hard to pay union dues when you're barely scraping by. 😔😢

[@idaliacorrea3414]

Thank you for being so thoughtful it was and is a wonderful place. You deserve respect from Customers and your supervisor’s alike.

[@jonathangasana]

I shop frequently at B&N and I’m happy that the workers are unionizing. Forever proud of my generation, we’re showing the older generation what they needed to do.

[@jamesstpatrick8493]

Union all the way

[@HxH2011DRA]

I went to the Union Square Barnes and Noble all the time back when I lived in nyc. Good people

[@kevinguo7097]

All B/N in Queens closed, I need to travel to other borough to visit B/N. I wish I could enjoy this kind of visiting till my last day.

[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

This might be hard one, same with groceries workers. Unless a brand has a really strong image to keep up, retail is hard to really improve working conditions because they rather switch to ecom or just give narely there service as theres not much requirements to get hired. The best we can do is not work there or barely take yhe job seriously and move on to better things.

[@Houseless_socialist]

WONDERFUL!

[@audhdylan]

Great news!

[@screamingintothev0id]

Worked off and on at B&N for over 6 years. I went back to work there for a summer in 2022 and they said that the most corporate would allow them to pay me, even though I had leadership experience and was cross-trained in every part of the store including shipments and the Cafe, which was $12 an hour. They also only provide health insurance/sick pay to full-time employees after they work with NO SICK PAY OR INSURANCE, FULL TIME, for 6 months. From 2018 - 2022, they cut our employee benefits percentage by 10% due to their profits sinking. They are so shitty to their employees, who, I can say as someone who worked in 3 different stores, across state-lines, are some of the most dedicated, knowledgable, and hardworking retail workers I have ever encountered. I hope they unionize EVERYWHERE!

[@freya002YT]

Amazing

[@jeannestark6293]

Glad u got a union

[@Exiled.New.Yorker]

I miss the Union Square B&N, it was pretty chill twenty years ago.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

Hey, has the channel done a story on how actual companies post job listings they never intend to fill.

[@afterthestorm221]

1:17 - Sounds like the broken ladder on the fourth floor is the perfect metaphor for B&N's current state of affairs.

[@jiffyb333]

So encouraging!

[@NA_49erFan]

Great work. #strongerunions are the only answer to #corporategreed

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

For at least the last 10 years I have always gotten the impression, on the rare occasion that I actually do go into one, that the Barnes & Noble stores aren't even managed at all.

[@Sultschiem]

Well...good. We need more unions. The last 30 Years, worker conditions, pay and benefits in the west have dropped while corporate profits exploded. Unions are desperately needed.

[@michaeld4861]

You should do a video on how to unionize. It kinda seems like an esoteric concept at this stage of capitalism.

[@LilBrownieD]

True

[@tofailahmed6723]

They already did kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGqzZpZmjpergas

[@boombot934]

That's a good news📰!

[@Persephales]

SOLIDARITY!!!!

[@barbarajeanne8351]

All true!

[@na976]

That’s not breaking a promise, that’s theft. An agreement of extra pay for extra work is not something they can just decide to change their minds about.

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

Well it's only theft if they refuse the additional pay after the work is done. if people show up and they tell them they're not going to pay them extra before they start it's a s***** thing to do but they haven't stolen anything yet

[@Art3mis-Cane]

Why did i know it was the unoin square store xD Honestly though, its right in the middle of everything so it kind of becomes a hang out spot for everyone, especially kids.

[@rickhaydan3433]

Unions are not socialist or communist. Unions are capitalist to the core. Corporations must negotiate with all their vendors and suppliers. But for the sake of greed, they apply a double-standard to employees, incorrectly arguing that workers shouldn't have the right to negotiate with employers.

[@rare_goth_metal_and_shoegaze]

This is an oversimplification. Unions can be capitalist or socialist/communist; it just depends on the union. If you think unions aren't socialist, look up the IWW. If you still deny that they can't be socialist, you must be some kind of ML, and even many of them are pro-union. (If you don't know what that stands for in the context of a discussion about socialism, you're not one, and in that case, you sound like an anti-socialist liberal, which is absolutely not helping anyone.)

[@uhohhotdog]

As the other comment said, they can be either depending on the structure. Unions in the US are typically on the capitalist side as they have very little power.

[@YAH_ONLY]

Overdosing in a bookstore is on another level..

[@Theomite]

The problem is that if history is any teacher, especially Matewan, we can expect violence from the Captains of Industry and their militarized police departments if these unionizations succeed.

[@nwatson2773]

Blood will have to shed, there are a lot more poor/working people than wealthy A-holes

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

No one is going to shoot the blue hairs at Barnes and Nobles for trying to unionize

[@davidjamesshaver]

That's only a problem for cowardly workers and openly pro-union workers are ANYTHING but COWARDLY!

[@Theomite]

@@davidjamesshaver I wanna agree with you, but I honestly doubt any of these unionizers are mentally prepared to take a bullet or 2 or 15.

[@jaredstein6761]

Choose the Teamsters Union, their strongest then any other union!!

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

Given the way Borders closed? Barnes & Noble should watch their asses. These workers are valuable assets. They deserve respect.

[@EspyJW]

No one is a "minimum person." Why are we accepting "minumum wages?"

[@paulcurtis1639]

I support this union!🫶

[@jmcnally647]

Sad truth is large bookstores have been dying out. Libraries now look like Media Plays once did and are essentially daycare for the unhoused. Sad to see in the information Age.

[@frankyflowers]

really. how can they even afford rent there in nyc? they can't be making money.

[@TimEssDub]

Why I have hope for Gen Z

[@foxbuns]

ahh yes i remember working for this hellhole. good on them for unionizing. it's deserved.

[@macforme]

People have had enough and are tired of being USED. Minimum pay for maximum effort just to keep the job....They need Health Insurance, 401k, vacation days, overtime pay ( time and a half for the first 8 hours in a week) then double time after that. I'm sure management wouldn't work for less why should they expect the sales /stockers to work for next to nothing. Management needs to ask themselves "how would I want to be treated if I was doing that job" , or "how would I want my kid to be treated."

[@Octiliqu]

Hell yes! And more BN Union campaigns are on the way

[@mcgillicuddy8865]

I’m surprised they’re still open today or even profiting. I bet these unions are the final nail in the coffin.

[@lunchbox6576]

Great I was using Barnes and nobles to boycott Amazon for books. Now I guess I will stick to my public library.

[@nwatson2773]

same. I dont buy anything anymore except food, health insurance and electricity and cellphone service. Luckily my mother does not pay mortgage or property taxes due to homestead laws, and only her hoa-insurance. It feels great not to be at the mercy of our jobs!

[@edc3743]

The REALITY of no ACTUAL CONTRACTS must be REALIZED. This battle, based on the past (1930s), will most likely get BLOODY before ANY CONTRACT IS SIGNED. Ask the RR workers....

[@middleagebrotips3454]

Damn people OD in BN?

[@billmalone5050]

Where is Barnes and Noble's senior leadership and how did they let their stores dissolve into such chaos ? This company ought be ashamed of itself !! I hope that these workers will go talk to the IBT.

[@victoriaholt2274]

❤❤UNION UNION UNION 😅😊

[@franklyanogre00000]

Watch them reduce manpower and install kiosks.

[@dukeofrodtown1705]

We all know why they're doing this and automation is getting worse. Society is increasingly more for the few and not the many, and we have all the resources we need to reverse this. Solidarity to all workers fighting for justice and respect, everywhere!

[@cancerino666]

The company would do that anyway. People have to fight for their value, or companies just exploit them.

[@dukeofrodtown1705]

@@cancerino666 Owing to your argument, that's why I've been outspoken when I've said to folks I've known in the past that workers everywhere need to fight like hell for their values! At the end of the day, there are more aspects to their heinous plans than one could ever think of that are reversible; moreover, as the old adage goes, we have nothing to lose but our chains! Fed up with the fewest disrespecting and undervaluing people, especially workers at this point.

[@JohnT.4321]

@@cancerino666 Get rid of the exploiters.

[@cliveklg7739]

Not possible given the size and traffic of those specific stores. How are you going to kiosk a 4 story inventory?

[@celinedrules]

You can "ask yourself if you are ok with this and if the answer is no you can do something about it". Yep, its called quiting.

[@Sandy-o]

I love Barnes & Noble! I stand in solidarity with them! I will not cross the picket line! ✊🏽 love to see people standing up for change!

[@frankyflowers]

do bookstores even make enough money to pay people anymore? people order books. how much is their rent in NY?

[@DewgNews]

I worked for BN 20 years ago as a receiving manager in the stock room. Really tough job I thought it’d be cake but it was actually a lot of heavy lifting moving boxes full of books etc. They did the same thing with me I had a full year under my belt and when it came time for a raise and benefits to kick in they shaved my hours just enough so I didn’t meet the requirements for health insurance then gave me a 25 cent an hour raise 🫠😅

[@00TheD]

Funny I worked for a union under the same conditions. In fact thats what the union got for us...25cents a year.

[@DewgNews]

@@00TheD so your union either sucked azz or you guys didn’t negotiate your wages very well. Helluva job 😅

[@Dillon-117]

@@00TheD I'm calling bullshit.

[@johnnyjet3.1412]

Laborers 2163

[@darinsingleton3553]

These young folks are very courageous & quite remarkable, and we should all support them. I would just add, a somewhat more sobering proposal: F@%k "Respect." Your manager's respect is not going to pay your rent, or your medical bills. A Just & Living Wage is what workers require. The evidence is clearly overwhelming, that the Neoliberal sociopaths, who run most companies, do NOT see labor as an asset toward a healthy business. Workers are merely a cost, which needs to be bled dry, and then replaced as smoothly & easily as possible. They do NOT respect you; and they never will. Corporate CEO's & Managers are not the individuals to look for admiration & affection from. Contrived labels like "Partners" and "Associates" are a con game to fool workers into thinking of the Corporate Meat-Shredding process as a "Community," or even more laughably, "Family." Deep down, we all know this in our heart. Let's have the strength to call it like it is, to see it for what it's worth; and to unite ALL workers together as the only true bulwark against the Necropolitics of Neoliberalism. [soapbox ended.]

[@Ozzianman]

I myself learned to not trust big corp after they fucked with my pay while they were working me to the bone. Had to deal with the bureaucracy of 3 big corps where I was employed by a staffing agency who hired me out to a big IT firm who did the internal IT for a big oil firm. Big ol' shit sandwich of corporate fuckery. And since I was naive, they convinced me to sign on as a contractor so I had none of the rights of a full employee. Never, fucking again. It's ok for short term gigs if you are desperate, but not worth it in the long term. I had to use threats (no threats of violence) to get paid. I hated doing it, it runs counter to who I am, but it was the only thing that got them to actually pay me. Quit after 4 months after burning out hard and even after I quit they fucked with the final pay. Work in a small business now. Not nearly as well paid, but I get paid on time and I get to keep my sanity.

[@524sbth]

Crappy pay🎉 good on unionizing!

[@__-nd5qi]

they didnt get a cop or armed guard?

[@MrGodspeed182]

People that unionize seem to be the weak link in the chain. Just because you worked some place for a long time or think you deserve it, you with not be good enough. We all want more money and work to be easier. But it’s called work for a reason.

[@rabokarabekian409]

It's called PAY for not much reason, but hoiw does that line up with your " you with not be good"? People that unionize realize they are being victimized. Some even know basic English. Yay, Tyson foods & Hillary for the 37 hour part time work week as an example of the victimization.

[@Jwa-fo6nb]

​​@@rabokarabekian409 someone who has God in their name will never have morals, so there's no point in talking to this person

[@davidjamesshaver]

Troll.

[@ksmith2852]

Barnes and Noble still exists?

[@rbj5767]

👍👍👍👍👍🇺🇸🗡️❣️🇺🇸🗡️❣️🇺🇸🗡️❣️🐦⚡🤑💸🌈👄💢

[@GivenFactNotFiction]

God please tell someone get Walmart soon they are absolutely horrible

[@grumblekin]

Unionizing the buggy whip factory will most certainly protect the workers from progress.

[@stillnessflowing9480]

Wrote the blind moron who hasn't noticed independent bookstores that still exist in large cities, and small towns all over America.

[@Wind-oh-Wishp]

algea-rythm comment

[@simonhadley8829]

Whatever, your selections suck and B&N is often the ONLY bookstore in any town if they have one at all.

[@judylandry302]

The more workers unionize and affect the profitability of Corporations, the more immigration will be allowed, in order to get people who are willing to work cheaper and do as they're told. There is no shortage of impoverished people in this world. What really needs to happen is to change your own individual consumer mentality, and become more self reliant. The "Customer" needs to be valued, before the "Employee" will be.

[@nwatson2773]

True, I am on my way to a less consumer driven life, I am loving minimalism.

[@johnmcintosh7784]

I thought B&N got crushed by Amazon.

[@goldenrider2068]

The takeaway is New York is a terrible city.

[@jamesberry7150]

The unions will hasten the end of a lot of companies. The reason is they are slowly dying from the people at top including investors have sucked up all the profits, nothing left except to borrow capital to keep going with the rich still taking whatever is generated. The unions and increasing cost of barrowing, will cause defaults. Plus demminished sales spells the end.

[@davidjamesshaver]

Manipulative LIES, HATE SPEECH as well as POOR SPELLING😁

[@jamesberry7150]

@@davidjamesshaver gee, I didn't know they couldn't spell either. Years ago northeast airlines was fighting the union over wages. An investment firm took over, they declared bankruptcy and sold off the assets. When they can't get every penny they trash it and sell what's left.

[@davidjamesshaver]

@@jamesberry7150 Incoherent.

[@keymobile196]

This is so absurd -- these are unskilled jobs, not careers.

[@FerdarPleaseSubscribe]

Why shouldn't the workers own the means of production?

[@kevinlocke4515]

So gay. Barnes and Noble is a dead company.

[@jamesbee3087]

I 100% support unions but B&N is a few years from going under. I'm betting this will be the nail in the coffin, no one shops there anymore. With kindles and cheaper books online B&N is irrelevant.

[@davidjamesshaver]

You LIE!

[@carbonbiker]

Not accurate. The B&N near my house is a very busy store. They’re doing something right for enough people that like brick & mortar bookstores.

[@Jwa-fo6nb]

They are never hiring and I hardly see diversity in the employees why is that?

[@Jwa-fo6nb]

@Talitha yup, that's sad because there are lots of people who are informed in both literature and comics, etc. However just because people don't live up to the idea personally and look they want, people get denied. It makes me think should I care about the non union laws at Barnes and noble? Should I care about the company having hard times, because they would see someone like me as lesser anyway.

[@Jwa-fo6nb]

@Talitha that's understandable, I think it's better to just open up your own small book shop

[@00TheD]

Clowns are so loud

[@chey7691]

Is that why you have so many comments? Loud and dim temporarily embarrassed millionare, do you not realize the system you are defending would pick it's teeth with your bones? That they would steal not just your but your whole lineage's futures to pad their wallets with short term gains? Clearly not, because you don't even see the world you are in as fabricated and controlled and that you are a mouthpiece for propaganda you don't even know the origin of.

[@Houtont]

@@chey7691 The dumbest people are often the loudest. Pay him no mind.

[@00TheD]

No one deserves anything. You work for it. Get a better job. You just don't want to work hard.

[@Dillon-117]

1: "Get a better job" is shit feedback. It contributes nothing, does nothing. 2: It's not always possible to "get a better job" some people don't have the education to go beyond retail, sometimes you're in the highest paying job that you can get with your skills. 3: before you say, "Well get better skills" that costs money to get new skills. Most jobs won't pay you to learn those skills, and when your job barely pays enough to make rent, you can't exactly pay money to take a class to get new skills. So, D, perhaps just shut up.

[@alericjohansen6775]

I find it sad there are people like you who just say "It's TOTALLY fine companies mistreat people. Rather them so anything about how the company mistreats people, you should just leave the job. Letting the mistreatment fall to someone else. "

[@craigbrowning9448]

Q Shaman: Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam!

[@zantawolf]

Barnes & Noble last bookstore will go out of business soon. Unions kill industries. I love books. Used bookstore is my favorite now.

[@davidjamesshaver]

Hate speech.

[@stillnessflowing9480]

You know little about bookstores. There are independent bookstores in large cities, and small town across America. Get out or travel much to actually go into bookstores?

[@davidjamesshaver]

@@stillnessflowing9480 Personal hate speech.

[@FirstnameLastname-tp4zw]

Heck no, it's a book store! Just don't work for them, a union will put them out of business I know. You have to be producing a heck of a lot of product to afford payroll etc. Yes the box company owner is a millionaire but after I pay employees, order raw materials, pay utility's, I make about as much as you.

[@Houtont]

Learn to manage a business if you can't take care of your workers.

[@nunyabidness3075]

So, it’s sooo hard working in a bookstore. Oh my! If Barnes and Nobles is a bad employer, LEAVE! Jobs are available everywhere! Yes, I’ve done light retail. It’s a breeze. Level up to waiting tables or construction. Sheesh.

[@00TheD]

Well...most likely to ruin the business. Calling it now Barnes and noble closed in the next 5 years. I'll never shop there again. You guys are so far off the mark here completely tone def...

[@cognitivechaos1043]

😭😭😭

[@cococock2418]

13% of the population makes up 95% of Barnes and noble violent incidents