Workers at Barnes & Noble in Manhattan’s Union Square vote to unionize, continuing trend

NEW YORK (AP) — Workers at the Barnes & Noble in Manhattan’s Union Square, one of the retail chain’s signature stores, have voted to unionize. They join employees at a handful of other Barnes & Noble stores in the Northeast who have affiliated with unions in recent weeks, following a wave of union activity over the past few years at independent booksellers. The Union Square employees are now part of the the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which also represents workers at McNally Jackson, Greenlight Bookstore and other independents. In an announcement Wednesday, the union cited issues at the Union Square store from harassment to favoritism. Barnes & Noble said it looks forward to a new contract with the store’s workers.