Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Workers at the Barnes & Noble store at the Almaden Plaza Shopping Center in San Jose, California, voted 90% in favor of union representation with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5. The election concluded a monthslong campaign where workers overcame strong company opposition to join the growing number of unionized Barnes & Noble locations that include New York City; Brooklyn, New York; Hadley, Massachusetts; and Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The workers are seeking to address low and stagnant wages, inadequate health benefits, and a failure of management to address health and safety concerns at the workplace.
“We are seeing a bigger movement in retail organizing at companies that have always prided themselves as being ‘progressive,’” said Local 5 organizer Freddi Farias. “Workers are beginning to see through the façade and hold companies accountable to the values that they claim to have.”