A solid majority of employees have signed authorization cards with the union, but Borders management has refused to immediately recognize the union. An NLRB-supervised election is scheduled for October 18th.
This will be the first union election at a Borders store since the spring of 2001. Ten previous stores have held elections, four voted the union in. None are currently under contract.
Among the issues that drove the employees to seek unionization was their concern over Borders new "Category Management" initiative that will reduce the numbers of titles available in stores and hand significant control of Borders book purchasing, shelving and display over to the big publishing houses.
Employees of the Gurnee, Illinois store are also organizing with the UFCW, but they haven't asked for recognition of their union yet. Several more stores are in the initial process of organizing.
The union drive in Minneapolis was initiated through a referral from the BordersUnion.com Web site to Local 789. Consequently, the Borders union drive has become the centerpiece of Local 789's "You Are Worth More" campaign, which seeks use the internet and other media to create a mass movement of retail workers who want to organize for unions and union democracy. The You Are Worth More campaign ( http://www.youareworthmore.org ), in conjunction with BordersUnion.com and RetailWorker.com, has already effected union activity at several Borders stores and other retailers, notably Sears. Pro-union Sears employees in Michigan narrowly lost a vote (103 to 98) on September 22nd. More Sears stores are organizing.
Message from Minneapolis:
The union-busting meetings have started and they are both tedious and unfair.We could use a distraction. Better yet, the union-busters could use some. Give our store a call, ask for a bookseller or SPT member and give them some revolutionary love. If you're really feeling generous, ask for managers Barb Krantz and Maria Zachmann and ask that they deal with our unit fairly, and desist in their misrepresentation of UFCW 789, the UFCW International and the labor movement as a whole. We look forward to hearing from you all.
Call Minneapolis and express your support: 612.825.0336
Visit the Borders Employee Web site: http://www.bordersunion.com
Please feel free to forward this message, call your local Borders, etc.
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