Workers at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York, have won a significant victory in their fight for a fairer workplace – official union recognition with RWDSU. This victory comes after months of organizing among staff across departments and reflects a growing wave of unionization in the bookselling and nonprofit sectors.

On May 15, 2025, a delegation representing a clear supermajority of the Center’s workers delivered a request for voluntary recognition to management. The Center responded just under two weeks later by formally recognizing the union on May 28. On June 2, authorization cards were reviewed, solidifying RWDSU as the official bargaining representative under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

The newly unionized workers – comprising booksellers, baristas, assistant café managers, facilities assistants, library assistants, administrative and program staff, inventory managers, and others—are seeking a more democratic and transparent workplace. Their demands include having a seat at the table in decisions about scheduling, job roles, and organizational policy. Many also cited a lack of clarity around responsibilities, inconsistent communication, and the desire for more equitable workplace policies as major motivations for organizing…

Organizing in new and emerging industries like cannabis is vital to growing worker power and building the labor movement for the next generation. These are often fast-growing sectors with largely non-union workforces—often employing young, diverse, and passionate workers who are eager to make their voices heard.

The cannabis industry in particular is poised to create thousands of jobs across the state, and ensuring those jobs are unionized is essential to raising standards—not only in cannabis, but across the retail and service sectors.

With this victory, Gotham workers join a growing movement of cannabis workers across New York building power in their workplaces. Local 338 now represents approximately 600 cannabis workers statewide, from cultivation and processing to dispensaries and delivery services.

The message is clear: If you want a better job, you need a union. And if you want a better cannabis industry, it starts with organized workers leading the way…

This year, RWDSU Local 1102 took a major step toward deepening its community impact by launching the Local 1102 Charitable Trust. This new initiative broadens the Local’s efforts beyond the workplace, supporting community causes through fundraising, scholarships for Local 1102 members and their families, and donations to nonprofit organizations.

Proceeds from the event supported two impactful organizations:

• Island Harvest, a Long Island-based food bank committed to ending hunger and reducing food waste in local communities, and;
  

• PsychArmor, a nonprofit that equips individuals and organizations with education and training to better engage with the military and Veteran community.

The establishment of the Charitable Trust marks just the beginning of Local 1102’s long-term commitment to giving back. The Local plans to expand its efforts even further in the coming years, continuing to make a meaningful difference in the lives of workers, families, and communities across the region…