Labor Pains
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The workers’ decision to push for union representation apparently stemmed from deepening dissatisfaction with low pay and store management. “Here was a company that is growing very quickly, yet Borders seemed to be turning its back on the foundation of the store–their employees,” says staffer Chris Grant, who, along with fellow employee Greg Popek, led the drive to organize. Grant maintains that in the weeks before the store opened last November understaffing placed great stress on employees, who were expected to unpack and shelve the store’s entire inventory within a short period of time. Borders regional director Loreen Maxfield says these problems were temporary and linked to the opening of the store.
Popek, who previously worked at the Barbara’s chain, says bookstore workers are often poorly paid, though he admits Borders offers better hourly rates for new employees than other chain stores. Employees at the Lakeview Borders start at $6.50 an hour. Three months after the store opened staffers were given 4.5 percent raises, which Grant and Popek regarded as a slight reward. “We would read in the Wall Street Journal about Borders posting record profits and then wonder why our paychecks didn’t reflect that,” Popek says.
With the vote going in favor of the union, the Borders staff now faces an even tougher battle to negotiate a contract. Popek says Borders management has made it clear that it intends to give up nothing during what may turn into protracted discussions. Any concessions the chain makes at its Lakeview store could provoke successful unionizing efforts at its other stores. Borders could try to drag out the talks and force a strike, which might lead to a break in the union ranks. “We hope Borders executives will listen, but it remains to be seen how easy the negotiations will be,” says Local 881’s Brown, who concedes that the union may face a hard future in a shop with high employee turnover. Popek says the staff are aiming for a three-year contract that promises “livable” wage increases. In exchange for union representation, each employee will pay union dues of between $16 and $20 a month. In the meantime, Borders continues to expand its bookstore empire. Maxfield says the chain has 10 stores in the Chicago area, “just shy” of 150 nationwide, and 40 more are planned for next year.
