Scholastic Workers Walk Out to Protest Glaring Hypocrisy by the Children’s Publishing Powehouse

Unionized workers at Scholastic – the children’s publishing powerhouse – walked off the job Wednesday in protest of the billion-dollar company’s refusal to pay its workers fair wages, specifically its rejection of the Scholastic Union’s proposal for annual raises. Union members instead rallied via Zoom and then held an in-person protest and picket outside Scholastic’s corporate headquarters at 130 Mercer St.

“What we are asking for, from a billion dollar company, is enough to live on as employees,” said Sandra Roldan, a member of the Scholastic Union. “We have members who have had to use their retirement savings to keep up with the inflationary costs and rent increases since the pandemic. That’s unacceptable for a company who professes to be dedicated to the ‘highest quality of life in community and nation.’”

Flagrantly hypocritical, Scholastic wants the public to believe that it values “the worth and dignity of each individual,” as its corporate credo says but yet it refuses to pay living wages and tramples on the legal rights of its unionized employees. All this comes as Scholastic attempts to mitigate controversy over its program to silo titles focused on race and LGBTQ+ themes at some book fairs. After intense backlash from the public, authors and illustrators, Scholastic halted the censorship.  

The Scholastic Union was formed in 1937 to represent employees at the children’s publishing powerhouse. The 82 members of the Scholastic Union are represented by The NewsGuild of New York. The union’s last collective bargaining contract with Scholastic Inc. expired in May 2022. Employees have been bargaining with the company since last October. Read more here!