A supermajority of staff members at The Center for Fiction have publicly launched their effort to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-UFCW (RWDSU-UFCW) and are seeking voluntary recognition from management.
Organizing under the name The Center for Fiction Union, workers at the New York City-based nonprofit literary organization perform jobs such as overseeing events, managing membership, and running the cafe and bookstore. Staff cite concerns around cost of living and the desire to have a stronger voice on the job as core motivators for forming a union.
“We are proud to be a part of the Center for Fiction, an organization whose mission to effect positive change through literature is one that resonates deeply for many of us,” said the union in a social media post. “Through the formation of our union, we are acting in alignment with the Center’s values, by allowing the organization to also effect positive change in the lives of those who make its mission possible – which is a foundational requirement for any organization that claims to do good in the world.”