Workers at Strand Books — one of New York City’s most famous book shops — walked off the job Saturday as part of a labor strike demanding they make more than minimum wage.
The store’s 110 unionized workers went on strike in the middle of the busy holiday season, leaving the shop’s “18 miles of books” to be run by a skeleton staff made up of a mix of store managers, part time non-union workers and other non-union administrative staff, according to labor organizers. The union wants their base pay to increase from $16 an hour, which is minimum wage in New York City, to $18 an hour in the first year of the contract. The workers voted to authorize a strike late last month.
Aaron Eisenberg, political director of the regional chapter of the United Auto Workers, which represents the workers, said the Strand’s current base pay isn’t enough to survive in the city.
“That’s far from enough for workers in the city,” Eisenberg said. “Our workers at the Strand will continue to be on strike until the owners come back to the table with a real offer.”
Shop steward and bookseller Brian Bermeo said the union and management are hung up over wage proposals. The union has demanded a $2 hourly raise in their first year of the contract, followed by $1.50 per hour raise in each of the second and third years.
Strand Books’ management has offered 50 cents less for each year, according to Bermeo. The two sides are due back at the bargaining table on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the store.
The UAW’s Local 2179 represents the Strand’s workers at a second shop on the Upper West Side and a warehouse in Brooklyn on top of the flagship location near Union Square, according to the Chief newspaper.
The Strand is owned by Nancy Bass Wyden, whose husband Ron Wyden is the senior U.S. senator of Oregon.
Strand spokesperson Paul Colarusso said the 97-year-old company wants to reach a compromise that will “keep our business alive.”
“We respect and value our staff, and we have made sizable economic offers during this contract negotiation accordingly,” Colarusso said.
The Strand is known for its “18 miles of books” — a collection of 2.5 million works spread across four levels and multiple sections, including its rare book room.
The union and management have been locked in labor disputes multiple times since the start of the pandemic, when the Strand laid off its entire workforce amid a citywide business shutdown.
The shop’s employees planned to continue picketing outside the store Sunday afternoon.
“I really genuinely do like working there,” Bermeo said. “There’s a lot of problems that come from upper management down that just make the habit of working at the Strand stressful.”
