Staff at The Literary, a beloved independent bookstore and cafe in downtown Champaign, Illinois, have overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a union with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-United Food and Commercial Workers.
Organized under the name The Lit United, these workers achieved the latest powerful win in a growing national wave of independent and large bookstore organizing.
“The future of The Literary is bright. A union means security; it means investment in such a cornerstone of the Champaign-Urbana community. I believe with collective power, The Literary will stay true to what it means to be a third space, and the workers will be treated with the same respect and care we bring to our community every day,” said bookseller Cale Hartman.
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