Strand workers authorize strike

Workers at the Strand Bookstore are threatening to strike just before the shop's holiday season spike. Members of United Auto Workers Local 2179 held a strike authorization vote last week, with 92 percent of members who voted approving a walk-out. A strike would be first at the legendary bookstore since the 1990s.

"We're sending a message to the company that we're willing to do whatever it takes," Andrew Stando, a visual merchandiser at the Strand and member of the union’s bargaining committee, said of the strike authorization vote. "Pay is a real problem for our members. We have a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck and barely making rent and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to get a living wage."

The union represents around 80 workers at the Strand’s main location near Union Square, its Upper West Side location and employees at its warehouse in Brooklyn.

Workers' last contract expired at the end of August, but the union agreed to several extensions through Thanksgiving because bargaining did not begin until the summer. Negotiations have progressed steadily, Stando said, but there’s “a feeling among the membership that the company is kind of delaying, is dragging this out and they're not substantially engaging with our demands.” 

The Strand’s chief operating officer, Carson Moss, disputed that characterization. 

“Strand has been bargaining in good faith since the expiration of the previous contract and will continue to do so until we arrive at a viable compromise that addresses staff concerns as much as possible,” Moss said in an email. “Our target remains a stable workplace for all Strand staff. We respect our employees’ rights to engage in protected union activity, but we remain hopeful we can find enough common ground to avoid their feeling such action is necessary.”

Since the strike authorization vote, management has moved closer to the union’s demands on wages, Stando said. Under the company’s most recent offer, workers would get $1.30 increases in pay in the first year of the contract, according to Will Bobrowski, a former Strand employee who is now Local 2179’s second vice president.

“Basically, all of our wage increases in the last contract were eaten up by inflation,” Bobrowski said.

The starting wage at the Strand for union members is the state’s minimum of $16. The union hopes to raise store pay faster than the state’s wage increases, which is set by state law to go up next year.

Other sticking points between the two sides include workers’ sick-leave policy and changes to union member’s health-care plans, which will terminate at the end of the year. The union and management have to completely renegotiate workers’ health care because the last time the sides negotiated there were more than 140 union members, about 60 more than currently work for the Strand.

Layoffs induced by the pandemic shrunk the union’s headcount and other members, including two former workers on the bargaining committee, have left to find higher paying opportunities elsewhere to keep up with the rising cost of living in the city.

Workers will meet with management on Wednesday for one final bargaining session before the contract expires Nov. 28. Workers could agree to extend the contract once again, continue bargaining after it expires or strike as soon as Friday.

“We want to have this wrapped up by the holidays but that doesn’t mean we want to accept a bad contract; we want to deliver for our members,” Stando said. "The ball is in their court right now. We have been very firm in our demands.”

dfreeman@thechiefleader.com