Employees of the Strand Bookstore, New York, N.Y., have accused the bookstore of "transforming their workplace into the kind of corporate-style environment they think the Strand should stand against," WNET-13's MetroFocus reported.
A labor contract expired last September for the 150 employees who are members of the United Auto Workers Union, and there are indications that "if the Strand's owners won't move forward with negotiations, they intend to escalate the pressure, and said that a strike is always a possibility," MetroFocus wrote.
Union members complained that the Strand has been hiring some former Borders managers rather than promoting from within, and that a proposed two-tier wage system would offer smaller raises and fewer benefits to anyone who began working at the company after last September.
But Eddie Sutton, the Strand's general manager, countered: "Since 1976, we've worked with the union transparently and in good faith and we continue to do so. We live in a very challenging economy and for bookstores large and small the challenges are even greater with significant shifts to E-readers and the Internet. We've managed to keep all of our staff fully employed against this uncertain backdrop and have never laid a single person off in the process. We are proud of all of our booksellers in all departments who continue to provide our customers with a truly positive and singular New York experience seven days a week."