Organize Your Library! Developing the Collective Power of Library Workers

Organize Your Library! Developing the Collective Power of Library Workers Authors: Angelo Moreno, Kelly McElroy, Meredith Kahn, Emily Drabinski Speaking directly to library workers, this book demonstrates the power and fulfillment that comes from actively participating in shaping both the conditions under which they labor and the conditions that govern the library itself. Interest in unions and the real, day-to-day benefits they secure for employees is on the rise—including among library workers, who are beginning to realize that on their own they have little leverage. But with a union they have the power of numbers, and their working conditions are decided by a collectively negotiated agreement rather than by the malleable judgement of an individual administrator or library board. This handbook will equip readers with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary for organizing and maintaining a union at their library. Peppered throughout by illuminating stories from successful library union leaders and members, this book discusses why library workers need unions and explores some of the benefits that a collective bargaining agreement can assure, such as job security, increased salaries, codification of the rules for overtime pay and time off, and protection from harassment by patrons; explains why a contract won't limit employees' autonomy; walks readers through how to launch a union drive, including the basics of talking with co-workers, combating apathy and fear, and running a campaign; offers an overview of the steps involved in building a new union, from forming an organizing committee to getting recognition and setting up a governance structure; sketches out the key issues relating to contracts, the details of bargaining and negotiation, and arbitration; lays out approaches and strategies for dealing with supervisors and administrators in the context of your union work, including effective communication between labor and management, contract enforcement, and handling bad behavior such as unfair labor practices and retaliation; gives advice on pursuing changes in your workplace in a right-to-work state; explores the constructive roles that bosses can play to support the union efforts of the workers who organize them; and provides an Action Plan at the end of each chapter with suggested readings, questions for reflection, and activities designed to help deepen your knowledge, broaden your network, and practice important skills.

Miami University Librarians Unionize

After losing a hearing and being removed from a faculty union's bargaining unit during a union certification drive, librarians used their signed union authorization cards to file for and win a union authorization vote Learn more from the Journal of Radical Librarianship.

Cuyahoga County Library Employees Picket,

 Dozens of librarians recently took to the sidewalks to protest what they claim are unfair wage compensation from management at the Cuyahoga County Public Library.

The Services Employees International Union, the body that represents some 450 unionized library staff across the county's system, had been in new contract negotiations with CCPL's attorneys since January. Read more from Clevescene here

Franklin County Schools Move Forward with the Decision to Get Rid of Librarians

 Despite valiant pleas by educators and librarians alike, the superintendent of Franklin County Schools said the decision to remove librarians from libraries is final, pending approval from the county commissioners read more from Spectrum Local News here

Advocates rally for the restoration of Queens Library Funding

 Queens officials and library advocates rallied in Forest Hills last week to call for the full restoration of funding for the Queens Public Library after the mayor in his most recent budget proposal made a number of cuts to the city’s libraries.

Under Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget, the city’s public library systems would face $58.3 million worth of cuts, which the systems say would severely limit resources and services. Read more from the Queens Daily Eagle here.

Fourth Public Library to Unionize in Central Ohio

 The staff of Upper Arlington Public Library has officially voted to form a union, despite several videos by the library's director to assure staff that not much will change. Read more from the Columbus Dispatch here. 

Library Worker Rights Legislation Passes

 The Machinists (IAM) union, which represents Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) workers, is celebrating the passage of the Library Workers Empowerment Act, a milestone piece of legislation initiated by the IAM last year that will grant library staff across Maryland the right to organize. Read more from AFL-CIO here.