On Sept. 23, workers at Bookmans Flagstaff Entertainment Exchange in Flagstaff, Ariz., joined UFCW Local 99. This organizing win marks the second successful organizing drive by workers at the Arizona-based book chain. On August 27, about 49 workers at Bookmans in Tucson made history by becoming the first bookstore in Arizona to unionize by joining UFCW Local 99.
The decision by Bookmans Flagstaff Entertainment Exchange workers to unionize was voluntarily recognized by company management. On Sept. 9, employees at the Flagstaff Bookmans store notified management that 100 percent of their staff had authorized union representation, which eclipsed the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) majority of support threshold to demand recognition. Per NLRB guidelines, voluntary recognition allows employees to forgo a union election and begin formal contract negotiations with the company.
“Bookmans workers across Arizona are standing up to demand a better working life” said UFCW Local 99 President Jim McLaughlin. “Bookmans is important to communities throughout the state and the workers are a fundamental part of what makes Bookmans a community fixture. Now, Bookmans workers are recognizing their power and joining together to have a voice in the discussion about their future.”
“The reason I believe Bookmans needs to unionize is from a place of love,” said Tony Taurman, an electronics buyer at Bookmans Flagstaff. “I believe that our store is a pillar of the Flagstaff community, and this is to make sure that the workers there are taken care of and that they’re happy. Happy workers make a happy business.”
