Rutgers Barnes & Noble Workers Vote To Join Retail, Wholesale And Department Store Union

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said today that workers at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers at Rutgers University by a unanimous vote have elected to join the RWDSU.

Building upon last week’s win by workers at REI in Chicago with RWDSU, today’s win also comes amid a longstanding streak of wins by the RWDSU at independent booksellers in the New York area, including McNally Jackson, Goods for the Study, Greenlight Bookstore and Book Culture, as well as the union election petition of workers at Barnes & Noble’s flagship Union Square, New York store.

Workers at the Rutgers Barnes & Noble have reportedly faced safety issues amid the rebound of the pandemic; workplace harassment; substandard pay for the industry below that of independent booksellers; unstable scheduling practices; a lack of structure when it comes to job duties and tasks, and favoritism by management. These are issues the workers are looking to address at their first contract negotiations.

“I cannot contain the happiness and excitement I have to have finally won, especially with our overwhelming support,” said Lenine Lasher, member of the organizing committee and Assistant Department Manager at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. “Our victory was inevitable and stands in honor of workers everywhere.”

“We’re ready for the bargaining table,” said Eric Knittel, member of the organizing committee and Assistant Department Manager at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. “The company now sees how united we are in our effort so they better be ready to negotiate to help us build a better workplace.”

“Today, workers at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers at Rutgers University have sent a strong message to bookstore workers all across the nation – when you come together and organize, your voice will have to be heard by your employer,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. “Workers at this store stood together and joined voices during the largest campus strike in history at Rutgers and they too won. And we are proud to welcome them into the RWDSU.”

The vote to unionize workers at the Rutgers University Barnes & Noble College Booksellers store was conducted by an in-person secret ballot vote on-site at the store on May 12, 2023, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The RWDSU will represent approximately 70 workers at the store in contract negotiations, which will commence this year. The workers in the proposed bargaining units include booksellers, baristas, cashiers, and all non-supervisory employees at the store.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States, including 45,000 in New York State. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).