10-year Contract Delayed in Decatur by City Council

In February, the board of Decatur Public Library approved a 10-year contract reached with its AFSCME local, but final approval has been delayed by City Council members who question the unusual length of the agreement.

http://herald-review.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-council-delays-library-employee-contract-decision/article_51ce4d58-6de5-57ce-85f7-34e539801761.html

Tentative contract agreement on Sunday openings - Rockford (IL) Public library

ROCKFORD — The Rockford Public Library Board of Trustees approved a new three-year labor contract with employees tonight that opens the door to Sunday hours.

All six branches of the city's library system are closed on Sundays. Library leaders have long blamed that on contract language that requires them to pay time and a half to employees on Sundays. The higher wages imposed a potential financial burden that kept libraries closed on Sundays despite requests from the public....

http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160915/tentative-union-contract-could-lead-to-rockford-public-library-hours-on-sundays

Chicago Teachers Union Holds One-Day Strike

Teachers, librarians, and educational support staff at Chicago Public Schools held a one-day strike yesterday, closing schools as they held a massive demonstration amid ongoing funding and contract negotiations. School administration have filed a complaint against the Chicago Teachers Union, arguing that the strike was illegal.

For more articles, photographs, and commentary on yesterday's events, check out #CTUStrike on Twitter.

New Contract for Belleville Public Library Workers

Library workers in Belleville, IL have a new three year collective agreement that includes wage increases.

New Contract for Elk Grove Library Workers

Library workers in Elk Grove Village Public Library in Illinois have ratified a new four year contract that includes salary increases. The library workers are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. 

Workers at Northern Illinois University to Unionize

Workers at Northern Illinois University are seeking to unionize with AFSCME, and have filed a petition with the state labor board. The workers seeking representation include library staff and other technical, clerical, and paraprofessional staff. Other staff at the university are already represented by the union.

Protest at University of Illinois

Library workers  and other members of AFSCME Local 3700 and AFSCME Local 698, the unions that represent clerical and technical staff at the University of Illinois, engaged in a protest earlier this week, hand-delivering hundreds of postcards to the university president's office. The workers' contract is expired, and the unions have been in negotiations with the university administration for over a year.

Chicago City Employees & Unions File Lawsuit

Four unions representing employees of the city of Chicago, as well as twelve current and former employees, have filed a lawsuit against the city in response to proposed changes to employee pension plans. The proposed changes include increased pension contributions, increased wait time for cost-of-living increases, and the elimination of compounded cost-of-living increases. According to Chicago's mayor, the changes to the pension plan are necessary to prevent the pension fund from running out of money.

Quincy Public Library Workers Vote to Strike

Workers at Quincy Public Library have voted to strike after rejecting the latest offer from the library board. A federal mediator will be brought in, and the union spokesman has said the intent to strike will likely not be filed until after the negotiations. Library staff have been without a contract since April.

Report on Chicago School Closures

The Chicago Teachers Union has released "Twelve Months Later: The Impact of School Closings in Chicago". Among the report's findings regarding the consequences of the mass school closings that occurred in 2013 - only 38% of schools now employ a librarian.

University of Illinois Faculty on Strike

Faculty and librarians at the University of Illinois-Chicago were joined by students on the picket lines today as they began a two-day strike. Union members have been without a contract since becoming certified in 2012 and are proposing changes to the salary structure for both tenure and non-tenure track faculty. The union and the university administrations are scheduled to meet on Friday.

Guide to Haymarket Monument

Travelling to Chicago for ALA Annual? Plan a visit to the Haymarket Monument, constructed in memoriam of the 1886 Haymarket riot. For more information on the riot, as well as a guide to the monument, visit the Illinois Labor History Society's webpage.

New Contract for Rockford Public Library Staff

Library workers in Rockford, IL have a new collective agreement. Under the contract, employees will receive pay increases over the next three years.

Rockford Public Library workers have no confidence in executive director

Workers with the Rockford Public Library (Illinois) have delivered a vote of no confidence in their executive director, Frank Novak.  Delivering the message, union president Karla Janssen said that:

“Frank Novak’s lack of concern for the community that employs him and his blatant disrespect of services the library staff provides has created an unnecessary threat to the quality library services our city deserves. For these reasons, we have taken a vote of no confidence in Mr. Novak.”

There is a campaign underway entitled Save Our Rockford Library that aims to counter many of Novak's attempts to shut down library resources.