‘Overworked & Underpaid’ Say Workers At Princeton’s Labyrinth Books

PRINCETON, NJ – Before the end of 2023, bookstore workers at Princeton’s Labyrinth Books filed to unionize.

The workers filed a petition with the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission on Dec. 21 to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

According to workers, staff at the bookstore are “overworked and underpaid,” deciding to unionize. The owners meanwhile said they would bargain in “good faith” with the employees.

Rebecca Ziemann, an employee and one of the organizers told Patch that employees have been discussing unionizing for years.

“But this process really began in earnest after Politics and Prose, and independent bookstore in Washington DC, won their contract. One of our former colleagues posted the press release in our break room. A couple of days later, we got in touch with EWOC and began the unionization process,” Ziemann said.

The worker said Labyrinth employees are overworked and underpaid, which has resulted in an incredibly high turnover rate for the bookstore.

Labyrinth Book is owned by Cliff Simms, Peter Sims and Dorothea von Moltke.

“Labyrinth employees want fair wages and compensation, an official grievance process, and a say in the decisions made at the store. Labyrinth has the potential to be a wonderful workplace, and we’re hoping that the union helps the store be as successful as it can be,” Ziemann told Patch.

“We’re hoping that Dorothea, Cliff, and Peter voluntarily recognizes our union so that we can begin contract negotiations. If not, we are prepared to win our union election and go into negotiations from there.”

Workers have requested a vote if the owner does not recognize the union. This vote will be held “as earliest as possible.”

According to the owners, Jan. 24 has been proposed for holding an election.

The RWDSU and Labyrinth Books have yet to come to a stipulated election agreement. The National Labor Relations Board has yet to set an official date, RWDSU said.

The owners of Labyrinth Books told Patch they would bargain in “good faith” with employees.

“As owners of Labyrinth, we recognize the intention of our employees to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board has proposed January 26th as the date for them to hold an election. We will, of course, recognize our employees’ choice,” the owners told Patch in an email statement.

“If a majority of our employees vote in favor of unionization, we will bargain in good faith for all of our employees and expect to reach a fair and acceptable contract.

Labyrinth Books is the second bookstore in NJ to unionize after the workers in Barnes and Noble at Rutgers University, according to the RWDSU.

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