Why I Am in Favor of a Union

By Kathleen Anderson

In my life before bookselling, I was a teacher and I would come to Borders to hang out, drink coffee and buy books, sometimes I'd come to readings. I was very grateful to have a bookstore of this size offering literacy events and revitalizing a dead downtown block.

When I was hired at Borders (I left teaching due to burn-out and so I could devote more time to my writing) I felt proud and flattered. I see how many applications we get.

What I loved about Borders as a new employee has remained fairly constant:

*being around books
*shelving books
*selling books
*talking about books
*displaying books
*book loans
*discounts
*creative, funny, intelligent and entertaining co-workers *a sense of pride in what I do
*encouragement to learn as much as I want about store operations
*cross training in the bar
*encouragement to contribute to the personality and appearance of the store
*supportive managers
*free coffee, free coffee, free coffee

I did not expect to become rich as a bookseller. My pay is less than a third of what I made teaching. I knew I was trading off money for less emotional involvement and stress. I did not, however, think I'd have to impoverish myself to be a bookseller at Borders. No matter how you do the math, there is a cut in frequency and percentages of raises through the last (almost) four years I've been here.

What encouragement is there for long-term (4 years is a long term here!) employees hired after the Borders Brothers sold the company and meaningful stock options were granted?

We're told there are many opportunities for advancement to management. There's a strong spirit of encouragement and mentoring here, too. I've experienced it, but what if the employee is happy as a bookseller? What is the compensation and show of appreciation for the commitment Borders employees put in at this level? Does the company only value executive and management commitment?

I'm sorry to say that I'm sick of hearing about stock options. Thank you for what I have received but it's a far cry from the numbers being thrown around. After vesting and cashing in all my available shares, I received approximately $360 last winter. It was welcomed (I went to a friend's wedding in NYC and bought a new dress and nice gifts). Stocks are generally the luxury of people with spare cash to invest. I don't have any spare cash.

I'm in favor of the union because stockholders own this company and their profits are the bottom line (I'm a big girl, I know this is a business, of course) and it seems that profiting and expanding are done without any consideration or show of fair wages and compensation for the employees who are helping this corporation become so successful. There is strength in numbers and there is also the greater possibility of economic justice and compensation worthy of our efforts. Be warned. I have positive union involvement in my background. My father was a member of the carpenter's union. He never got rich, either, but he made decent wages on which we could live comfortably and received good benefits, fair treatment and job protection.

I was an active member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and, as imperfect as it was, and is, it served many good purposes. Pay was good of course, very good, I think (but I wasn't raising a family) but the PFT raised important issues, too. Relationships with my supervisors and with non-union fellow teachers were, for the most part, pretty good. I got along better with some more than others but that had to do more with personalities and sexual preferences (just kidding -- just wanted to see if you were still reading!) than union membership. The more focused we were on our jobs, the better we functioned and got along. (There were a few individual scars carried for years about who went on strike and who crossed the line, but these resentments were rare.)

I have faith in myself, the organizers and all of our staff to be committed to treating each other with respect no matter what happens. If we keep talking and being open about our concerns, fears and differences, we will minimize hurt feelings and resentments here too. Remember, too, if we vote in the union, we have the responsibility of making our concerns known and of ratifying a contract we find acceptable (remember-no dues paid until we ratify our contract). No union (being comprised of human beings) is perfect. I can say that my experience with our UFCW reps, Bridget, Ed, and Erin, has led to respect for their commitment, hard work and appreciation of the unique needs of booksellers and cafe workers. They don't run away from tough questions either and they were very up-front about the situation in upstate New York where a UFCW official was accused of extortion. (Look at this local's record and the national one. It's good.)

The union drive is not anti-Borders. I like working here and want to stay. I'm just exasperated as to how to afford it! It's not about personalities or managers (who all love me, I know). It's about the principle of standing up for myself. It's about taking responsibility where and when I can for my financial and professional well-being.


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