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Nearly eight months since 100% of the 29 eligible employees at Bookmans Flagstaff supported unionizing in an effort to begin contract negotiations with the company, the unionized workers conducted a one-day strike on Saturday.

After arriving at 8:30 a.m. to begin preparations to open the store, the employees read a letter of intent to the location’s general manager, exited the store and protested in front of the establishment for about a half hour before shifting to the sidewalk along South Riordan Ranch Road in front of the Varsity Shopping Center.

Planned for just one day before returning to their regular working hours the following day, the employees protested into the late afternoon, with the bookstore closing for the day. A notice on the front door of Bookmans referenced the closure as being due to “a staffing shortage� leaving the store unable to be operated “safely and effectively."

According to a January filing by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 99, which represents Bookmans� employees, to the National Labor Relations Board, Bookmans has “interfered with, restrained and coerced its employees in the exercise of their rights protected under Section 7� of the National Labor Relations Act. The charge continued, adding that Bookmans had retaliated against the employees because of their union activity by “reducing employees� hours, denying full-time jobs to its employees, by changing benefits without bargaining with the union and by failing to bargain with the union.�

In response to the one-day strike -- which also occurred at both of the company’s Tucson locations -- Bookmans� management released a statement.

“This action was completely unexpected as negotiations are ongoing, and substantial progress has been made. And in the vast majority of areas where the parties have not yet reached agreement, we have made concessions in a good faith effort to do so,� the statement read. “We look forward to continuing to work with the union, negotiating in good faith, and reaching a fair and sustainable agreement that will be in the best interests of our dedicated staff, loyal customers and Bookmans as a whole. We remain committed to completing the negotiation process and continuing to be there for our communities long into the future.�

Tony Taurman, the union representative for the Flagstaff location who has been with the company for nearly two years, has been traveling to Tuscon “at least once a month� as the negotiations have been underway.

“It’s been a little stressful. Going there and getting disheartened with them slow-walking and them taking their time has not been great,� Taurman said. “I’m hoping this changes that.�

Taurman added that he loves his job and wouldn’t be moving ahead with these efforts if he didn’t. Calling Bookmans a “pillar of the community,� Taurman said he hoped to keep it that way while believing the company is “aiming to change that.�

An employee of Bookmans for more than 32 years, Matt Christiansen said he’s loved the store and loved helping the community for more than three decades. However, in recent years, he noted how the environment has changed.

“When I started, it was a very employee-centered store. It was people before profits. It was a fun place to work,� Christiansen said. “I want to get back to that.�

Christiansen noted how the struggles of Bookmans Sports Exchange in Tucson, which opened in mid-2013 and closed a little more than three years later, led to struggles for the company that were felt hours north in Flagstaff.

“It almost tanked the company when it didn’t work out,� Christiansen said. “We stayed here -- actually, gladly -- to get Bookmans back on its feet financially.�

Taurman and Christiansen said the unionization was effectively years in the making, with the 32-year veteran of the bookstore adding that it had been brought up before but employees “didn’t have the spirit to do it� as they hoped it would change on its own.

Christiansen said his wife also worked at the store for more than 30 years, and she wanted to reach her retirement there, but the realization that Bookmans had begun to focus on hiring part-time employees made it clear there were worries for the future. Admitting he was not sure how much time he had remaining at the store, Christiansen expressed a desire to make it better for the employees who would come after him.