UFCW - United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
03/11/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/11/2026 08:52
Bookstore Workers in Washington, D.C. Ratify a New Contract
On Feb. 25, members of UFCW Local 400 who work at three Politics and Prose bookstores in Washington, D.C., ratified a new contract.
The three-year agreement covers approximately 70 booksellers and baristas and includes:
- Guaranteed wage increases each year of the agreement.
- Protections against "clopening shifts."
- Retention language to promote from within before accepting external candidates.
- Bereavement pay.
- An additional holiday.
- Recall language in the event of layoffs.
- The ability to appoint more shop stewards.
- A "Dignity and Respect" clause.
"Congratulations to our members on a hard-won contract," said UFCW Local 400 President Mark Federici. "None of these improvements would have been possible without everyone staying engaged and unified throughout this process. And a special thanks to our hard-working bargaining committee for their time and effort getting this across the finish line. It's never easy to negotiate a contract and they stepped up in a big way on behalf of their co-workers. We're proud to have you in our union family."
Politics and Prose employees were the first bookstore in Washington, D.C. to unionize in January 2022 and the first to win a union contract later that year.
UFCW - United Food and Commercial Workers International Union published this content on March 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 11, 2026 at 14:52 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]