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The HarperCollins union represents over 250 employees in various divisions of the company, from legal to design to editorial and sales. They have been in negotiations since December of 2021, and the process was made more complicated by HarperCollins recently acquiring the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt trade division. The union says HarperCollins will not allow the new employees at the bargaining table or recognize their seniority.
The union is bargaining primarily for higher pay, which they claim hasn’t kept pace with inflation and does not reflect a living wage in New York. This is made especially frustrating because of HarperCollins’s recent acquisition. As one representative said, “If they can buy a whole division and still have record setting profits, they can raise salaries to match the cost of living.”
They also are looking to create a “more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace,” which they say HarperCollins is only playing lip service to at the moment: “Our members are tired of empty gestures. They want meaningful change.”
Currently, the union is working without a contract, as the previous one has expired. There is not yet a date for when the strike will begin, if needed.
Read more about this story at Publishers Weekly.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.