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Pandemic sparks union activity where it was rare: Bookstores
ABC News ^ | 9 November 2021 | HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer

Posted on 11/09/2021 11:59:20 PM PST by blueplum

...Labor action has surged in many industries over the past two years, including in bookselling, a business where unions had been rare. Since 2020, employees have unionized or are attempting to do so everywhere from Printed Matter in New York City to Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle and Bookshop Santa Cruz in California. In Minnesota, workers at four Half Price Books stores have announced plans to affiliate with locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

"I think COVID-19 was a rude awakening for bookstore workers, and really anyone who works with the public,” says Owen Hill, a buyer at Moe’s Books in Berkeley, California, which unionized earlier this year....

...But when workers organize, even the most progressive-minded owners might object....

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bookstores; socialism; unions
the unions, having succeeded in chasing big business offshore over the years, are now bottom feeding on discount book store employees while everyone's distracted with emotion politics
1 posted on 11/09/2021 11:59:20 PM PST by blueplum
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To: blueplum

It’s the Leftist buchs.

Tie the commies to their actions.


2 posted on 11/10/2021 12:47:17 AM PST by Paladin2 (Critical Marx Theory is The SOLUTION....)
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To: blueplum

Not so new. Powell’s Books in Portland OR has been union since 1999 (International Longshore and Warehouse Union).


3 posted on 11/10/2021 3:54:30 AM PST by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: blueplum

This’ll finish off independent bookstores unless they succeed in also selling stuff with better margins.


4 posted on 11/10/2021 3:59:16 AM PST by mewzilla (Those aren't masks. They're muzzles. )
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To: mewzilla

Note to booksellers: But you’ve got far bigger problems than labor. So much of the stuff being published now is crap. I haven’t bought a new book in months. I can’t recall ever going so long without buying a new book.


5 posted on 11/10/2021 4:02:35 AM PST by mewzilla (Those aren't masks. They're muzzles. )
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To: blueplum

“the unions, having succeeded in chasing big business offshore over the years, are now bottom feeding on discount book store employees while everyone’s distracted with emotion politics”

Yep, I give our unions FULL CREDIT for sending our manufacturing base to China and other countries. I’m old enough to remember how they continually brought our industry to its knees and really gave our industries no choice in the matter. If they weren’t shutting down, they were slowing down, way down (they called it ‘working to the rule’). Just not worth the trouble when there were plenty of countries overseas that didn’t put up with that crap. And don’t even start me on their political ‘donations’.

And why are there still unions anyway? We have OHSA, for starters, who can shut down anyone at will, and then we have the tort system which allows class action suits for businesses that manage to deceive OHSA. And then there are even criminal laws to protect workers.

But don’t worry, I’m sure our resident union apologist will have something to say here.


6 posted on 11/10/2021 5:02:25 AM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's, I just don't tell anyone, like most here.)
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To: blueplum

Labor unions == communism in your community.


7 posted on 11/10/2021 6:37:13 AM PST by backwoods-engineer (But what do I know? I'm just a backwoods engineer.)
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To: BobL

and now the unions are going on strike.. with a pro union president.. things that make you go ummmmm


8 posted on 11/10/2021 10:06:34 AM PST by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
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To: blueplum

Ironically, used bookstores have way better profit margins than big business. I’m sure Moe’s books can afford to raise wages since they pay 10 cents on the dollar or less for their inventory.


9 posted on 11/10/2021 10:08:45 AM PST by lodi90
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