Workers Seek Higher Wages, Better Staffing, and a Voice on the Job
Apple Valley, MN – Workers at Half Price Books in Apple Valley voted this week to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663, becoming the fifth unionized Half Price Books store in Minnesota and the tenth nationwide.
The workers organized to win a voice on the job and to negotiate a first Union contract that includes higher wages, improved staffing levels, and a seat at the table when making decisions about their workplace.
“Half Price Books is attempting to iron out the individuality that shapes our community by standardizing our roles and incorporating A.I. in our workplace,” said Drew Schmidt, bookseller. “Unionizing is our way of encouraging Half Price Books to correct its course.”
Apple Valley joins a growing nationwide movement of unionized Half Price Books workers at nine other locations nationwide, including four others in Minnesota, as booksellers continue pushing for a voice in their workplace. Workers at the company’s stores in St. Louis Park, Coon Rapids, St. Paul, and Roseville organized in 2021, won their Union elections in 2022, and ratified their first contract in 2024.
“All my co-workers at the Coon Rapids Half Price Books are thrilled that the Apple Valley workers are joining us as members of Local 663,” said Terell Paris, bookseller. “We know that our Union will be stronger together, and that we can use that strength to make our workplaces better.”
Half Price Books, a privately held company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, now has five unionized locations in Minnesota.
Social media posts from the Union election victory are available here:
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UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in healthcare, grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries. Our members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.