Love the Lit Life
I work in the web department at the Strand bookstore. Your article (“Struggle at the Strand,” April 30-May 6), which has begun to circulate around the store as I type this, is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of unethical behavior on the part of the Strand’s management. I cannot tell you what a relief it is to know that the press is finally cluing in to the Strand’s hypocrisy.
Yes, the Strand was close to striking, and while negotiations were pending, management committed several unfair labor practices—attempts were made to persuade unknowing employees to agree to the new medical plan. The Strand has openly violated the contract for several years, and they have done this knowingly. In short, they know that even though we have a union, they are the ones with an expensive lawyer and all the money to provide them with the best legal counsel.
One of the main, and unfortunate, reasons the Strand did not go on strike was because our union leader, Horace, appeared to be towing the party line, urging us essentially not to strike. Perhaps he has given way to complacency like so many others here have.
If you want an idea of how it is to work at the Strand, it reminds one of communist-era East Germany in the 1980s. You can love your country, but you may not speak ill of it. Have you ever seen The Lives of Others?
I’d like to add that I am not another disgruntled worker. I have been a hard worker here at the Strand because it is a store whose essence I believe in. I believe that knowledge should come at low prices. However, I am of the strong opinion that the Strand has indeed become corrupted by greed. Instead of ignoring these issues, Strand management needs to assess their treatment of employees both on an emotional and financial level. They may know how to market their name, but they know nothing of human relations.
—Elizabeth Dosta, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Caught a Bass
Someone who worked at the Strand for seven years is claiming they fired her because she’s an “African American”? What a crock. She was cited for tardiness 12 times in two months? Could that have anything to do with her being suspended/fired? Why didn’t she just show up on time after the first citation?
I was at the Strand recently. Somebody apparently was late and wasn’t yet out on the floor. The line I was in to sell them my used books was long. An exasperated man stepped up and took my books and led me to a register. The man was Fred Bass, owner of the bookstore. He wasn’t late for work (and he stepped in at a cash register to check me out), which is why he and Nancy run a successful business.
It is difficult for business owners to find good workers. Being good simply requires showing up on time and doing the job properly. It’s that simple. No business owner wants to fire someone. Replacing someone requires interviews, which are business costs that can be avoided if current employees can be kept. But if someone shows up late for work 12 times in two months they should expect to be fired, not just suspended.
Here’s a tip for any dissatisfied employees anywhere, including the whiners at the Strand: If you really don’t like where you work, quit. You’ll be happier.
—Brian Teasley
Holden Caulfield, Aisle 4
I wanted to commend you on your article regarding the Strand bookstore’s mistreatment of its employees. As someone who has worked for the Strand for several years, I can attest to the absolutely abysmal managerial strategies that are employed by the store’s upper echelon. While Ms. Thorpe’s article focused on events that occurred in the past and concerned individuals who I did not know personally, this piece could not have been more topical, as Nancy Bass Wyden’s hostility and ire have been particularly rampant as of late and have affected virtually every employee, regardless of gender, ethnicity or work ethic. Nancy Bass Wyden is a sallow-faced vulture who goes out of her way to punish people for the most trivial of offenses, while Eddie Sutton trolls the aisles like the vice principal of a middle school, waiting for one of us to fuck up. We are treated as liabilities, not as assets. The majority of us are well-educated people who genuinely care about doing a good job at work and this kind of behavior is insulting, especially when it is administered by someone who is as out-of-touch with the nature of her profession as Nancy is.
The following may seem to be the stuff of myth and gossip, but it has been verified to me by several managerial sources: Several years ago, Nancy was helping a customer who was looking for a book by Nietzsche and she typed “KNEE CHEE” into the search field of the computer; another time she was informed that a famous person was shopping in the store and when she asked who it was, a mischievous employee joked, “Holden Caulfield.” Nancy then proceeded to brag to other managers that Holden Caulfield was shopping in the store. The point is this: The Strand is not some friendly, family-run company that rests upon pillars of intellect. Let us dispel the notion that the Strand exists as an anachronism—an anchor grounding us to the past, reminding us of an older, hipper New York. Let us squelch the erroneous assumption that the Strand is a triumphant underdog that is heroically attempting to withstand the throttle of gentrification. At the end of the day, the Strand is just another capitalist enterprise (albeit more poorly run than most). I suggest that people take their patronage elsewhere.
—An anonymous and severely disgruntled employee of Strand, Inc.
And This Too Shall Pass
Thank you for the thorough piece on Nancy Bass Wyden and the Strand. I worked at the Strand in the mid-1980s. Having graduating from Bryn Mawr, I was pursuing my MA in English at NYU. (I’m now on the English faculty at S.F. State.) Even 20 years ago, we Strand employees had a bad feeling about Nancy when it came to the prospect of her running the store. From her demeanor on her occasional visits, it was clear that she was ignorant of the literary culture that was the lifeblood of the place. As we sat around a pitcher of beer at the Cedar Tavern after work, we’d predict an unfortunate future for the Strand. It’s sad to see that our prognostications were accurate. One can only hope that the Nancy Bass Wyden phase will not spell the end of a grand tradition.
— Katherine Powell Cohen, San Francisco, CA
Business as Usual
Wow, what an article. Three women who are African American get fired. We are talking about people who showed up late, took unauthorized breaks and took unauthorized time off from work. These are union workers, and firing union workers without justification is not an easy thing to do. Oh, and no evidence of discrimination was ever documented and the union dropped all charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Excuse me, but maybe I missed something here. Just what did the Strand do wrong?
Maybe the fact that the Strand is trying to improve their profit margin is the issue. Wow, that would be groundbreaking and certainly worth a front-page story. I guess the Strand going broke and going out of business but holding to whatever standards the New York Press thinks they should be held to would be a better alternative. Oh, I know, the Strand should try and treat their employees as well as the New York Press treats theirs, and be just as profitable.
—Dan Freeman, Brooklyn
Hillary or Bust
Russ Smith is wrong when he states that Obama’s appeal to the blacks (“Historical Blindness,” April 30-May 6) will compensate for his lack of appeal to older voters. The fact is that blacks comprise only 12 percent of the electorate, while voters 18-44 made up only 31 percent of the electorate in Pennsylvania. The youth vote has only made a difference in the Iowa caucus. In the Democratic primaries Obama is losing the white and the Hispanic voters. His winning combination of blacks and upscale liberal whites in the primaries make him unelectable for the fall election. Obama has demonstrated that does not appeal to blue collar and middle-class voters. Hillary is right: Obama is unelectable.
Russ Smith is also wrong when he says that when the primaries are over Hillary supporters will unite around and support Obama. That is not true. Many Hillary supporters like myself will sit out the 2008 election. We feel that this election was stolen from by a media that promoted Obama as if he were the resurrection of Jesus Christ—who if elected would solve all our problems. We resent the characterization of the Clintons as mudslingers in contrast to Obama who is supposedly above fray practicing a so-called new form of politics. But the fact is that Obama and his gang sling mud with the best of them, especially when they unfairly characterize the Clintons as racists. If the Democrats nominate Obama I hope he loses so I can have the _satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”
—Reba Shimansky, Upper West Side
I work in the web department at the Strand bookstore. Your article (“Struggle at the Strand,” April 30-May 6), which has begun to circulate around the store as I type this, is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of unethical behavior on the part of the Strand’s management. I cannot tell you what a relief it is to know that the press is finally cluing in to the Strand’s hypocrisy.
Yes, the Strand was close to striking, and while negotiations were pending, management committed several unfair labor practices—attempts were made to persuade unknowing employees to agree to the new medical plan. The Strand has openly violated the contract for several years, and they have done this knowingly. In short, they know that even though we have a union, they are the ones with an expensive lawyer and all the money to provide them with the best legal counsel.
One of the main, and unfortunate, reasons the Strand did not go on strike was because our union leader, Horace, appeared to be towing the party line, urging us essentially not to strike. Perhaps he has given way to complacency like so many others here have.
If you want an idea of how it is to work at the Strand, it reminds one of communist-era East Germany in the 1980s. You can love your country, but you may not speak ill of it. Have you ever seen The Lives of Others?
I’d like to add that I am not another disgruntled worker. I have been a hard worker here at the Strand because it is a store whose essence I believe in. I believe that knowledge should come at low prices. However, I am of the strong opinion that the Strand has indeed become corrupted by greed. Instead of ignoring these issues, Strand management needs to assess their treatment of employees both on an emotional and financial level. They may know how to market their name, but they know nothing of human relations.
—Elizabeth Dosta, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Caught a Bass
Someone who worked at the Strand for seven years is claiming they fired her because she’s an “African American”? What a crock. She was cited for tardiness 12 times in two months? Could that have anything to do with her being suspended/fired? Why didn’t she just show up on time after the first citation?
I was at the Strand recently. Somebody apparently was late and wasn’t yet out on the floor. The line I was in to sell them my used books was long. An exasperated man stepped up and took my books and led me to a register. The man was Fred Bass, owner of the bookstore. He wasn’t late for work (and he stepped in at a cash register to check me out), which is why he and Nancy run a successful business.
It is difficult for business owners to find good workers. Being good simply requires showing up on time and doing the job properly. It’s that simple. No business owner wants to fire someone. Replacing someone requires interviews, which are business costs that can be avoided if current employees can be kept. But if someone shows up late for work 12 times in two months they should expect to be fired, not just suspended.
Here’s a tip for any dissatisfied employees anywhere, including the whiners at the Strand: If you really don’t like where you work, quit. You’ll be happier.
—Brian Teasley
Holden Caulfield, Aisle 4
I wanted to commend you on your article regarding the Strand bookstore’s mistreatment of its employees. As someone who has worked for the Strand for several years, I can attest to the absolutely abysmal managerial strategies that are employed by the store’s upper echelon. While Ms. Thorpe’s article focused on events that occurred in the past and concerned individuals who I did not know personally, this piece could not have been more topical, as Nancy Bass Wyden’s hostility and ire have been particularly rampant as of late and have affected virtually every employee, regardless of gender, ethnicity or work ethic. Nancy Bass Wyden is a sallow-faced vulture who goes out of her way to punish people for the most trivial of offenses, while Eddie Sutton trolls the aisles like the vice principal of a middle school, waiting for one of us to fuck up. We are treated as liabilities, not as assets. The majority of us are well-educated people who genuinely care about doing a good job at work and this kind of behavior is insulting, especially when it is administered by someone who is as out-of-touch with the nature of her profession as Nancy is.
The following may seem to be the stuff of myth and gossip, but it has been verified to me by several managerial sources: Several years ago, Nancy was helping a customer who was looking for a book by Nietzsche and she typed “KNEE CHEE” into the search field of the computer; another time she was informed that a famous person was shopping in the store and when she asked who it was, a mischievous employee joked, “Holden Caulfield.” Nancy then proceeded to brag to other managers that Holden Caulfield was shopping in the store. The point is this: The Strand is not some friendly, family-run company that rests upon pillars of intellect. Let us dispel the notion that the Strand exists as an anachronism—an anchor grounding us to the past, reminding us of an older, hipper New York. Let us squelch the erroneous assumption that the Strand is a triumphant underdog that is heroically attempting to withstand the throttle of gentrification. At the end of the day, the Strand is just another capitalist enterprise (albeit more poorly run than most). I suggest that people take their patronage elsewhere.
—An anonymous and severely disgruntled employee of Strand, Inc.
And This Too Shall Pass
Thank you for the thorough piece on Nancy Bass Wyden and the Strand. I worked at the Strand in the mid-1980s. Having graduating from Bryn Mawr, I was pursuing my MA in English at NYU. (I’m now on the English faculty at S.F. State.) Even 20 years ago, we Strand employees had a bad feeling about Nancy when it came to the prospect of her running the store. From her demeanor on her occasional visits, it was clear that she was ignorant of the literary culture that was the lifeblood of the place. As we sat around a pitcher of beer at the Cedar Tavern after work, we’d predict an unfortunate future for the Strand. It’s sad to see that our prognostications were accurate. One can only hope that the Nancy Bass Wyden phase will not spell the end of a grand tradition.
— Katherine Powell Cohen, San Francisco, CA
Business as Usual
Wow, what an article. Three women who are African American get fired. We are talking about people who showed up late, took unauthorized breaks and took unauthorized time off from work. These are union workers, and firing union workers without justification is not an easy thing to do. Oh, and no evidence of discrimination was ever documented and the union dropped all charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Excuse me, but maybe I missed something here. Just what did the Strand do wrong?
Maybe the fact that the Strand is trying to improve their profit margin is the issue. Wow, that would be groundbreaking and certainly worth a front-page story. I guess the Strand going broke and going out of business but holding to whatever standards the New York Press thinks they should be held to would be a better alternative. Oh, I know, the Strand should try and treat their employees as well as the New York Press treats theirs, and be just as profitable.
—Dan Freeman, Brooklyn
Hillary or Bust
Russ Smith is wrong when he states that Obama’s appeal to the blacks (“Historical Blindness,” April 30-May 6) will compensate for his lack of appeal to older voters. The fact is that blacks comprise only 12 percent of the electorate, while voters 18-44 made up only 31 percent of the electorate in Pennsylvania. The youth vote has only made a difference in the Iowa caucus. In the Democratic primaries Obama is losing the white and the Hispanic voters. His winning combination of blacks and upscale liberal whites in the primaries make him unelectable for the fall election. Obama has demonstrated that does not appeal to blue collar and middle-class voters. Hillary is right: Obama is unelectable.
Russ Smith is also wrong when he says that when the primaries are over Hillary supporters will unite around and support Obama. That is not true. Many Hillary supporters like myself will sit out the 2008 election. We feel that this election was stolen from by a media that promoted Obama as if he were the resurrection of Jesus Christ—who if elected would solve all our problems. We resent the characterization of the Clintons as mudslingers in contrast to Obama who is supposedly above fray practicing a so-called new form of politics. But the fact is that Obama and his gang sling mud with the best of them, especially when they unfairly characterize the Clintons as racists. If the Democrats nominate Obama I hope he loses so I can have the _satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”
—Reba Shimansky, Upper West Side
