Half Price Books Workers Continue Negotiating First Contract
The Union and Employer committees have met in February, March, and April, with each session lasting three days but only four hours per day. So far, the Union has proposed language and the Employer has responded with their version, and since then each side has had an opportunity to suggest compromises. To date, the two sides have reached tentative agreements on 11 items. These agreements won’t be official until the contract is voted on, but until then the subjects are closed for bargaining. While 11 items might not sound like a lot, the Union committee feels like this is a great start. And while some of these items are very important, some are relatively minor. Still, it’s good to come to agreements on some of these for a first contract to get them settled and move onto issues like the grievance procedure, seniority, and (later) wages and benefits. For now, the two sides are focused on “non-economic” items that don’t have a specific price tag, but once more language is agreed to for the final contract, we will hopefully move on to economic items after a few more sessions.
Bargaining is a process of compromise, so we might not get everything we want in the first contract. Our goal is to get a good base with the most important components in place, and to keep building on it in the future. If you have questions, make sure to contact your bargaining committee members or a staff member of the Union. And remember, nothing in the contract is settled until everyone gets a chance to vote!