Workers at Solid State Books have unanimously voted to ratify its first union contract during a virtual meeting attended by 100% of the store's staff, according to United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400, which represents workers at the store.
Solid State is the second unionized bookstore in Washington to ratify a collective bargaining agreement, the union said, after Politics and Prose workers did so last year. The contract was modeled on the collective bargaining agreement reached with Politics and Prose, and includes such provisions as retroactive pay raises; cost-of-living increases tied to the DC minimum wage; an additional holiday on Juneteenth; an extra week of vacation after the third year of employment; more robust staffing at the store per shift; and robust anti-discrimination protections.
“We got here quickly, and we owe that in large part to our union siblings at Politics and Prose,” said Kiara Martinez, Solid State bookseller and member of the negotiating committee, referring to the 17-day bargaining period it took the workers to ink the agreement with the store. “While we are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done, our journey is only just beginning. It’s our hope that we inspire others to begin theirs.”
Store owners Jake Cumsky-Whitlock and Scott Abel added: “We are very pleased we were able reach our first collective bargaining agreement with Local 400 so quickly and amicably. This agreement is a win-win for both Solid State Books and our employees.”
