2-year Contract Extension for California Faculty

Members of the California Faculty Association are set to vote on whether or not to extend their contract which is set to expire January 2018.  Should the extension be approved, members will receive a 6% raise over the next two years.  An extension will also allow the union to focus on advocacy for student services such as support for DACA students and the campaign for free college tuition.  In addition, work groups would be established to prepare for future negotiations in the areas of academic freedom, intellectual property and salary structures.

http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2017/10/03/contract-extension-could-mean-more-pay-for-faculty/

San Diego County Workers Approve New Contract

A strike was avoided when a tentative agreement was reached between Service Employees International Union Local 221 and county officials.  Union members, including librarians, voted to approve the contract.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/us-politics/sd-me-union-votes-20170914-story.html

Libraries impacted by pending strike in Sunnyvale CA

Members of the Sunnyvale Employees Association, which includes public library workers, who have not received a raise in five years, prepare to strike on May 1st.  The Sunnyvale Public Library posted an announcement on its website informing library users that hours will be curtailed.  City managers have filed an injunction against the union.

http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/SunnyvalePublicLibrary.aspx

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/29/sunnyvale-city-employees-to-strike-monday-citing-5-years-without-pay-raise/

California state workers strike averted, contract vote January 4-17

State employees in California, SEIU Local 1000, which counts library workers among its 95,000 members, voted to strike in November if a tentative contract agreement was not reached.  One has been, and it will be voted on in the upcoming weeks.  Main sticking points in negotiations were salary increases, a demand from Gov. Brown that workers pay larger percentage in retirement benefits, civil service reform, and gender pay disparities.

http://www.seiu1000.org

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article114965863.html

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article109176237.html

Unity Break Held at Berkeley Public Library

Members of SEIU 1021 participated in a "unity break" to protest issues with the management of Berkeley Public Library. Workers and administration have disagreed on the process of weeding the library's collection for some time. The former director of the library resigned after it became public that an exponentially larger number of items had been removed from the library's collection than had been announced. It has been alleged that a current library worker is being terminated in retaliation of disclosing the accurate number of items removed from the collection. A union spokesperson said:

One of the core tenets of librarianship is intellectual freedom. That the people who brought that to light are being punished instead of rewarded is shameful.

Strike Possible at California State

Librarians, professors, and other faculty at California State University may go on a five-day strike in April if an agreement has not been reached with administration on a new collective agreement. The workers, represented by the California Faculty Association, are asking for a 5% raise for all workers, as well as an additional raise of 2.65% for those at the low end of the pay scale. The administration has offered a 2% pay increase.

New Contract for Library Workers in LA County

SEIU Local 721, Los Angeles County's largest union that represents county employees including library workers, approved a new collective agreement that includes wage increases and additional vacation time. The president of the union said:

“The men and women on the front lines of providing critical services in our communities must be able to also provide for their own families, this is why we prioritized raising the lowest paid workers to $15 and ensuring folks like our library pages had the security of a path to a permanent job."

Strike Action in Solano County, California

Libraries were closed today in Solano County as library workers and other county employees engaged in a one-day strike. It is estimated that between 700 and 1,000 protesters joined in the demonstration at the county's administration building in Fairfield, CA. The workers are represented by Service Employees International Union, and have been in negotiations for a new contract since July.

New Collective Agreement for Oakland Library Workers

Library workers and other staff of the city of Oakland, members of SEIU Local 1021, have reached a tentative agreement with the city on a new two-year contract. The union represents 3,500 workers.

Protesters Arrested at Santa Cruz City Council Meeting

Members of SEIU Local 521, which represents library and other city workers in Santa Cruz, California, staged a protest during a recent city council meeting in response to what has been described as "poverty wages" for many of its members. The protesters were arrested after refusing to end their demonstration during the public meeting.  Union president Doris Henry said that “the road to recovery should not continued to be paved on our workers’ backs.” The union is currently in negotiations with the city on a new collective agreement.

New Collective Agreement at Los Angeles Unified School District

Library workers and other clerical staff members at the Los Angeles Unified School District have a new three-year collective agreement that includes salary increases and living wage adjustments.

"The Privatization Beast" at Kern County Public Libraries

Administration at Kern County Public Libraries in California have been in talks with Library Systems & Services LLC to take over running their libraries. Part of the company's proposed plan is to reduce employee costs by eliminating the union, reducing contributions to pension plans, and relying on volunteer workers for some of the tasks currently completed by library staff.

Yesterday at Beale Memorial Library, one of the library system's locations, a reading was held of "The Privatization Beast", a story about a beast who eats libraries.

Unionized Security Guards Replaced at Berkeley Public Library

Unionized security guards at Berkeley Public Library and other locations in the city have been replaced with non-unionized workers after First Alarm Security won a contract bid with the city. The company pays its employees lower wages and provides less benefits than the unionized company that formerly employed the security guards. It has also been accused of committing labor violations.

Report on Wages at University of California Issued

A report was recently published by Economic Policy Institute (EPI), stating that the vast majority of employees represented by the Teamsters Local 2010 union at the University of California make lower wages than that necessary to support a one-adult, one-child family. The union represents employees in clerical and allied services, and sponsored the EPI report.

Media Specialists in California School District to Be Let Go

Library media specialists are among employees of the Calaveras Unified School District who are to be laid off next year. Students, teachers, a principal, and the union spokesperon have all spoken out against the elimination of the media specialist positions, with one student stating:

The main thing I want to address is the sheer fact that our librarian is just as important as the library itself. To some of us, that library is a second home and the librarian an ear open to listen.

Some schools within the school district are already operating without a media specialist.

California Faculty Association Has New Three-Year Contract

A new three-year agreement has been reached with the California Faculty Association, which represents librarians, coaches, counselors, and other faculty at California State University, and the university administration. Members of the union had been without a contract since June.

UC San Diego Acquires Union Archive

The University of California San Diego has acquired the Farmworker Movement Documentation Project, a digital archive of the United Farm Workers of America. The archive includes posters, newspaper clippings, and oral histories from the 1960s - 1990s.

Update on Moreno Valley Public Library

In June, it was announced that the Moreno Valley Public Library in California would be taken over by Library Systems & Services LLC. As reported, all of the library's staff were laid off and were given the opportunity to interview for their original positions. Out of the library's 23 employees, 17 were rehired, albeit with reduced benefits and salaries.

Striking Library Workers in Hayward, CA

Library staff and other city workers in Hayward, CA have gone on strike after city administration and their union failed to reach on agreement on new contracts.

Possible Strike in Hayward, CA

The city of Hayward, CA and the union representing its workers, including library staff, have been unable to come to an agreement on contract negotiations. If an agreement is not reached this weekend, workers may be on strike by Tuesday. In the event of a strike, all essential services, including the library, will remain open.