![]() ![]() Book Soup staff members also attribute those hiring difficulties to low pay. ![]() ![]() Prior to the pandemic, Book Soup "had a roster of about 25 on-call staff, part-time and full-time, to help run the store, with at least six people scheduled to work each day." Many employees were furloughed or laid off when the bookstore had to close in early 2020, and though operations have returned to normal, staffing has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The two sides are currently in bargaining.īookstore workers chose to organize primarily over wages and staffing issues, as well as communication, "disability access, fairer distribution of labor, greater transparency from leadership" and more say in workplace decisions.Īudrey Kaufman, senior supervisor at Book Soup and organizing committee member, told the Times that the union was the employees' way of addressing longstanding issues and "setting certain boundaries, which is healthy to do in any relationship." Kaufman added that Book Soup employees were inspired by the other indie booksellers around the country who have unionized in recent months. Per the Los Angeles Times, Book Soup employees announced on May 5 their intent to unionize, and last month, Vroman's in Pasadena, Calif., which owns Book Soup, voluntarily recognized the union. Employees at Book Soup in West Hollywood, Calif., and Books in Albuquerque, N.Mex., have joined the growing ranks of independent booksellers unionizing since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. ![]()
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