On April 3, workers at the Barnes & Noble store in El Cerrito, Calif., took a significant step towards ensuring their rights and representation in the workplace by organizing with UFCW Local 5.
The decision to unionize comes as a result of dedicated Barnes & Noble employees in El Cerrito standing in solidarity to demand a safe working environment, better wages, guaranteed hours, and a voice on the job. By affiliating with UFCW Local 5, these workers recognize that collective bargaining power will enable them to negotiate fair wages, improved working conditions, and greater job security.
“We continually reported incidents of the working conditions with no response from management or Barnes & Noble Corporate,” said Kylee Acevedo, who is a bookseller at the El Cerrito store. “Many of my co-workers have experienced some form of threat with safety incidents and we were tired of no response from management, so we decided to organize the union.”
“We know there is power in numbers, and we are looking forward to standing alongside the seven unionized stores across the country to improve our wages and working conditions,” said Adrian Ramos, who is also a bookseller at the El Cerrito store. “We also know that this movement of booksellers and café workers at Barnes & Noble is going to grow and we are going to help make it happen.”
UFCW Local 5 also represents Barnes & Noble workers in San Jose. This new unit in El Cerrito marks the eighth Barnes & Noble organizing win for our union since 2023. Barnes & Noble workers at the 82nd Street store; flagship Union Square store; Park Slope, Brooklyn store; and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers at Rutgers University are represented by the RWDSU/UFCW. The UFCW also represents Barnes & Noble workers in Hadley, Mass., and Rutgers, N.J.
