KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The union representing McKay’s employees has filed a complaint with the federal government, accusing the used book store of shutting down to avoid negotiations with the unionized employees.
Those McKay’s employees are represented by Communications Workers of America. The president of CWA’s local chapter said the company was trying to bust up the union.
“McKay’s decision to shut down a beloved bookstore rather than negotiate in good faith with their workers is a disgusting attempt to bust the union, coming from a company that has already violated federal labor laws multiple times over,” Ray Mehaffey said. “CWA is not going anywhere. We will pursue McKay’s and its owners to the ends of the earth in our fight for justice for the Knoxville McKay’s workers and their loyal customers.”
The investigations aren’t finished, but the National Labor Relations Board has levied several accusations against McKay’s. In 2025, the board legitimized allegations that McKay’s wasn’t bargaining in good faith with CWA, leading to three cases that, as of February 2026, are still open.
McKay’s is only closing its Knoxville location. In general, it’s illegal to close a business’ location in direct response to unionization or as a way to intimidate other locations out of unionizing. That said, since announcing the Knoxville store’s closure, McKay’s has said only the property’s sale prompted shutting the store down.
Turkey Creek Hospitality bought the location. The developer’s president, Nick Patel, has since released a statement pointing to what the space may be used for; Turkey Creek Hospitality is a known East Tennessee hotel developer.
A spokesperson for McKay’s said union activity did not factor into the decision to sell the property.
