I’m sure this isn’t news to many of you, but the Harper Collins Union has been on strike since November 10, 2022. The HarperCollins Union is asking for an increased minimum salary to a living wage (from $45k a year to $50k a year), a greater commitment to diversity from HarperCollins, and union security that would require all employees who are eligible to join the union. Doesn’t sound unreasonable, right?

Well, I guess it does to HarperCollins. Because they’re refused to negotiate with the union, and have been fine with people picketing outside the offices of News Corp, the parent corporation of HarperCollins, which is owned by the Murdoch family. Their solution to this mess? Bring in temps to work on their books, which isn’t a great solution. Authors, editors, and agents are involved in the strike, and they have been putting pressure on HC to come to the negotiating table by withholding submissions and avoiding taking on new work. 

You may be thinking, but hey, I’m just a book blogger (or book reader). What can I possibly do? Here are some steps that the union has put forth on their social media pages, which you can find on Instagram and Twitter. Some easy steps you can take include:

• Withhold reviews of books by HarperCollins and their imprints. See the image below to find out all the imprints affected by the strike.

• Continue buying books published by HarperCollins, since not buying their books just hurts authors, but just don’t share about it until the strike is resolved. This means on your blog, social media, etc. If you do plan to buy books published by HC books and their imprints, consider doing so through Bookshop.org, who is donating a portion of the proceeds to the HCP online strike fund.
• Sign the strike solidarity open letter. You can find the link here.
• Share about this on your social media platforms — the HCP Union accounts have plenty of info you can share or retweet, and be sure to include the hashtag #HCPOnStrike to increase visibility.
• Donate to the online strike fund if you are able. The link to do so is here.

And that’s it! I know I’m withholding two reviews already, and have a few more on deck, so hopefully HarperCollins will come to their senses (and the negotiating table) soon. Any thoughts on the matter? Share them!