Powell's Books: Difference between revisions

| area_served = {{Unbulletedbulleted list|[[Portland metropolitan area]]|[[Condon, Oregon]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Peter |title=The Other Powell's Bookstore |date=May 12, 2017 |url=https://1859oregonmagazine.com/explore-oregon/powells-condon/ |website=[[1859 Oregon's Magazine]] |access-date=2024-04-23}}</ref>}}

Walter Powell's was founded by Walter Powell's in 1971. His son, Michael Powell, had started a bookstore in [[Chicago, Illinois]], in 1970 which specialized in used, rare, and discounted books, primarily of an academic and scholarly nature. In 1979, Michael Powell joined his father in Portland, right after his father's store was not offered a lease renewal; within a year, they found the location that became its current headquarters.<ref name="pandw2010" /> Michael bought the bookstore from his father in 1982.<ref name="funduni" />

In March 2010, Michael Powell confirmed plans to hand over management of the business to his daughter Emily as of July.<ref name="pandw2010" /> That same month, Powell's announced it would close its technical bookstore on the [[North Park Blocks]], moving its sections on math, science, computing, engineering, construction, and transportation into "Powell's Books Building 2" at the corner of 10th and Couch Street, near the main City of Books location;. theThe consolidation was in response to a five-year decline in [[brick-and-mortar]] sales of technical books in favor of online sales.<ref name="pbj201003">{{Cite news |date=March 4, 2010 |title=Powell's to move Tech Store |work=[[Portland Business Journal]] |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/03/01/daily57.html |access-date=2010-12-07}}</ref>

In 1991, following some post-holiday lay-offs, some of Powell's employees formed an organizing committee, seeking to become part of the Oregon Public Employees Union (OPEU). They gotsucceeded in getting more than 35% of the employeesworkers to sign union cards, but chosebecause notless tothan file65% forof athem unionhad certificationdone electionso—the becauseOPEU's lesssuggested thanthreshold—they 65%decided hadnot signed,to afile thresholdfor suggesteda byunion thecertification OPEUelection.<ref name="ilwu">[http://www.ilwulocal5.com/about/we-are-the-ilwu/we-are-ilwu-local-5/ilwu-local-5-powells-books/history ILWU Local 5: A Brief History of Local 5: Powell’s Books, Inc.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116051423/http://www.ilwulocal5.com/about/we-are-the-ilwu/we-are-ilwu-local-5/ilwu-local-5-powells-books/history |date=January 16, 2011 }} from the [[International Longshore and Warehouse Union|ILWU]] Local 5 website</ref> In response to issues identified by the organizing employees, Powell's updated and expanded its employee handbook in April 1992 with changes that addressed processes for problem solving and grievances, the probation and termination procedure, and other employee assistance, among other changes.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In September 1998, an email from Powell's managers announcing reductions in employee's wage increases prompted the creation of a new organizing committee of 26 employees. They chose the [[International Longshore and Warehouse Union]] (ILWU) because they could charter their own self-governing [[local union]] which would include about 350 employees serving in a variety of jobs in all stores and in the Internet, corporate, and shipping departments. By March 1999, they had filed for a union certification election with the [[National Labor Relations Board]]. A month later, by a vote of 161–155, ILWU Local 5 became official.<ref name="ilwu" />

In February 2011, Powell's announced the layoffs of 31 employees, over 7% of its unionized workforce, in “response to the unprecedented, rapidly changing nature of the book industry"." It was the first round of layoffs since the store's workers formed a union. A union representative said that Powell's had reduced its workforce by about 40 in the prior year through attrition, but felt that layoffs were still necessary because of a decline in sales of new books and a rise in health care costs.<ref name="NY Times Arts Beat">{{Cite news |last=Bosman |first=Julie |date=February 9, 2011 |title=Powell's Books Announces Layoffs |work=[[The New York Times]] Arts Beat blog |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/powells-books-announces-layoffs/ |access-date=2011-02-09}}</ref>

In response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Powell's announced the closing of its five locations and the termination of nearly all employees in mid-March 2020.<ref name="latimes2020">{{Cite news |last=Pineda |first=Dorany |date=March 18, 2020 |title=Powell's, Portland's beloved indie bookstore, will lay off most workers |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-03-18/powells-portlands-beloved-indie-bookstore-lays-off-most-workers |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> The letter released by CEO Emily Powell on March 17, 2020, did not discloseprovide the exactprecise number of employeeslayoffs thatin werethe laidletter she released offon March 17, 2020. However, roughly 85% of the 400 members of the company's unionized workforce were terminated.<ref name="oregonlive2020">{{Cite news |last=Rogoway |first=Mike |date=March 16, 2020 |title=Powell's expands coronavirus layoff, warns it will be 'several months' before normal operations |work=The Oregonian |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2020/03/powells-expands-coronavirus-layoff-warns-it-will-be-several-months-before-normal-operations.html |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> MoreThe thanunion 100noted formerthat staffersonly were then rehired to fulfill a large surge49 of online orders, but the unionmore pointedthan out100 thatformer only 49employees were union-represented, and that the rest wereremaining managers who were now doingperforming front-line workduties normallytypically doneperformed by represented employees. This was in response to a large surge in online orders.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.powells.com/featured/communitymessage |title=Powell's Books COVID-19 Response |website=www.powells.com |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329201856/http://www.powells.com/featured/communitymessage |archive-date=29 March 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite news |title=Powell's recalls some workers to sell books online during coronavirus outbreak |publisher=The Oregonian |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2020/03/powells-recalls-some-workers-to-sell-books-online-during-coronavirus-outbreak.html}}</ref> In July 2020, Powell's announced that the store and kiosk in the [[Portland International Airport]] would remain closed permanently.<ref name="airport">{{Cite news |author=KATU Staff |date=2020-07-27 |title=PDX airport Powell's Books locations close permanently |url=https://katu.com/news/local/pdx-airport-powells-books-locations-close-permanently |access-date=2021-07-13}}</ref>

As Powell's gradually began re-hiring staff beginning in April 2021, former employees were forced to apply for open positions as new employees. Powell's claimed that their right to return to their old jobs had expired, and an agreement to extend those rights (and maintain previous pay levels) had not been reached between Powell's and the union. The majority of hired staff have been previous employees.<ref name="rehiring">{{Cite news |last=Rogoway|first=Mike |date=2021-06-03 |title=Powell's, union remain at odds over bookstore's rehiring practices |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2021/06/powells-union-remain-at-odds-over-bookstores-rehiring-practices.html |access-date=2021-07-24}}</ref>[[File:Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, mall-interior entrance.jpg|thumb|[[Cedar Hills Crossing]] location]]