Minnesota Director lives in California; AFSMCE Local 2822 Protests

Chad Helton, whose decision to direct the Hennepin County Library system from his home in Los Angeles has rankled librarian staff and taxpayers alike, may have to move back to Minnesota under a policy on remote work issued last week by the county. The new policy, sent to county employees on Dec. 17 by County Administrator David Hough, states that county supervisors whose workers interact directly with the public must live in Minnesota. It takes effect Jan. 31. Helton, who was hired in 2020, moved to California this summer saying he could perform his job through video conferencing and that he would return to the Twin Cities as needed.... His decision to run things from California created an uproar with library staffers, most of whom work directly with the public at the system's 41 libraries. In interviews, some employees noted they went to work daily in the libraries at risk of contracting COVID-19 while Helton was working safely from his Los Angeles condo. Representatives of the two unions that represent library workers criticized Helton for working in California.

Ali Fuhrman, president of AFSMCE local 2822, which represents library support staffers, hailed the new policy barring supervisory officials from working out-of-state as "a victory for workers." She said she didn't believe exceptions should be made for anyone, including Helton. "There is no reason you should be directing things from another state, period," she said. "Whoever is directing services in the community should be living in the community."