The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents about 100,000 workers, has been pushing to include in the contracts it negotiates, including at Barnes & Noble, a guaranteed right to sit during work that can be done seated, said Stuart Appelbaum, the union's president.
Barnes & Noble uses chairs or stools routinely for those working off the sales floor when it’s sensible to do so, but a lot of a bookseller’s work is done on the move, including unpacking, sorting and shelving books, a company spokesperson said.
“The longer I’ve been at the job, I’ve started noticing knee issues, especially because we do a lot of bending down and standing back up when we’re shelving books and showing customers things and creating displays,” bookseller Bear Spiegel, 28, said.
"Our employees are welcome to take their breaks and meals in our designated break room or in any common-use space throughout the airport," company spokesperson Jackie Reedy said.
The association recommends trying “fatigue-reducing techniques such as alternate propping one foot on a footstool, the use of anti-fatigue mats, using a sit-stand stool and wearing supportive footwear,” said Lisa Spruce, senior director of evidence-based perioperative practices at AORN.
