The 80 hourly employees at BookPeople in Austin, Tex., have voted to unionize with OPEIU Local 277, Fox 7 Austin reported. The union represents more than 7,000 members in the insurance industry, credit unions, clerical and technical workers in aircraft manufacturing, and union offices.
BookPeople employee Salvador Samudio told Fox 7 that the decision to unionize allows hourly employees to "negotiate for better pay, better wages and better benefits through representatives from the bookstore." Samudio added that the employees "love that store, they love working there, they want to make it an even more special place."
The decision to unionize was supported by Austin City Council member Greg Casar, who said he hopes that the BookPeople vote will inspire employees at other Austin retailers to form unions of their own. Casar said: "I've already heard from other folks who have been watching the BookPeople campaign asking well, 'if it can happen at BookPeople why can't it happen at my coffee shop? Why can't it happen at my store?' "