Powell’s Books’ unionized workers have voted to authorize a strike, turning up the pressure on the prominent independent bookstore as contract negotiations continue.
On Wednesday, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 5 announced that 92% of Powell’s workers voted in favor of the strike authorization. The union said it would decide whether to strike after its next bargaining sessions at the end of the month.
“This vote gives the ILWU Local 5 bargaining team the authority to call for a strike if it becomes necessary in the course of negotiations,” the union said in an Instagram post. “It doesn’t mean Powell’s workers are going on strike right away, but it does mean they have the option and are getting strike-ready!”
The local, which was founded by Powell’s workers in 2000, said that it isn’t asking supporters to boycott the bookstore amid ongoing negotiations. The union today represents other organizations including the Community Cycling Center, the Oregon Historical Society and the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice.
Myka Dubay, a representative of ILWU Local 5, said negotiations with Powell’s Books have been ongoing since early February and that the landmark bookstore “has continued to be unwilling to provide a reasonable wage for workers.”
Dubay said both parties have previously “reached a number of ‘tentative agreements’ for a lot of different proposals” but that none of them have materialized into a set agreement. They said the two parties are currently in disagreement over wages and healthcare.
They said the bookstore is proposing a change to the workers’ current healthcare plan to one with fewer benefits, where employee’s will have to pay higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.
Dubay said the union is pushing for a living wage and to make healthcare coverage more affordable for workers.
“We want to decrease our premium costs to account for the reduced coverage,” Dubay said. “Workers should not be expected to pay the same rate for a lesser health plan.”
In a statement, Powell’s Books said its latest proposal includes “immediate wage increases and further upholds excellent healthcare benefits that allow us to remain competitive in a challenging economic environment for retail.”
The company said that it remains committed to the bargaining process and that both sides have managed to find common ground in previous contract negotiations for more than two decades.
“Though we have not been informed directly of a strike vote or an intent to strike, we deeply value our employees and respect their right to engage in protected union activity,” the bookstore said. “We are hopeful that we will reach an agreement soon that is sustainable and honors our employees.”
