NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Workers at the East Village’s Strand Bookstore went on strike Saturday morning during peak holiday shopping season, demanding better wages after negotiations with management broke down.
“We found ourselves in a position where they are saying there is no more money to offer,” UAW Local 2179 representative William Bobrowski told 1010 WINS. “They cannot get the owner to put forward the money that we think we need to make this to settle.”
Bobrowski said that the union has been bargaining since August, and that the biggest issues are wages and paid time off.
“Our ask of 50 cents more per year for people who are making close to minimum wage is not exactly outrageous,” he said.
Andrew Stando, a visual merchandiser and shop steward at Strand, agrees that wages are the biggest concern for employees.
“It’s becoming impossible to live in New York on what the Strand pays,” Stando said in a statement. “We’re just asking for enough to make rent every month.”
This is the first strike at the iconic bookseller since the 1990s, UWA Local 2179 said in a statement announcing the strike. UAW members began picketing at 10 a.m. outside the Broadway entrance of the store on East 12th Street.
Union members asked customers to not cross the picket line, which runs until 10 p.m. Some, like Adam from Astoria, told 1010 WINS that they planned to refrain from shopping at the store in support.
“If they’re not treating their workers right, I can go somewhere else until they say they're being treated right,” he said.
Some elected officials, like NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, joined the picket line on Saturday.
“'We can’t continue to have workers earning starvation wages' says Sen. Ron Wyden (quite rightly) ... even as his wife Nancy Bass-Wyden refuses to pay her workers at The Strand bookstore more than the minimum wage," Lander wrote on X.
Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and NYC Councilmember Justin Brannan also joined the picket line in support.
In Strand Bookstore’s statement on the strike, the bookseller affirmed that it is “fiercely dedicated to [the company’s] mission,” noting that bookselling is a challenging and labor-intensive business with slim margins, and that its entire staff fights daily to ensure its viability.
“We respect and value our staff, and we have made sizable economic offers during this contract negotiation accordingly,” the statement said. “The union has not been willing to accept those increases so far. We will continue to bargain in good faith and target a compromise that creates a bright future for the company, our employees, and customers.”
Strand Bookstore has been in business for over 97 years and employs over 150 people, the bookseller said.
The store was open on Saturday and Bobrowski told 1010 WINS that management and seasonal workers were keeping it running.