Not just books and maker spaces, library provides meeting space for local unions' contract negotiations

The Boston Globe reports on the variety of activities happening in public libraries in and around Boston.  About the Brockton Public Library, the article says,  "A recent weekly calendar showed rooms booked by local union branches for daylong contract negotiations and meetings by groups such as the NAACP."

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2017/04/21/local-libraries-are-now-gathering-places-and-not-just-for-books/8axsjqCyJHyn4g7R0Ezf9N/story.html

Sandwich Public Library Reopens on Sundays Following Long Unionization Process

Following a unionization effort begun in 2010, Sunday openings have finally returned to the Sandwich [MA] Public Library -- the last remaining sticking point in contract negotiations for the Sandwich Public Library Staff Association, a member of Local 4928 Massachusetts Library Staff Association, American Federation of Teachers.

http://www.capenews.net/sandwich/opinion/a-smooth-road-to-unionization-for-library-workers/article_020e711d-c7e9-5204-8cfa-2698b4ee49e9.html

Plymouth Library Workers Protest Glass Ceiling

Library workers at Plymouth Public Library have been handing out pamphlets and wearing buttons that read "End the Glass Ceiling: Library Staff are Town Employees Too". The pamphlets additionally state the following:

“As a predominantly female group, we believe we are being discriminated against on the basis of gender through the town’s refusal to provide wages and benefits that are provided by it to predominantly male and mixed gender employee groups.”

The union has pointed out that positions at the library that require a university education pay less than positions elsewhere with the city that require a high school diploma only. Contract negotiations between the union and city administration are ongoing.

Raises for Taunton Public Library Workers

Workers at Taunton Public Library will receive wage increases after a review found their wages were much lower than those of workers at comparable libraries nearby, with the differences ranging from 22% to 26%. Beginning with their new contract that takes effect July 1, library workers will receive incremental pay increases that will, over time, bring their salaries more in line with those of library workers in nearby communities.

New Contract for Woburn Public Library Workers

Workers at Woburn Public Library have a new four year contract, retrospective to July 2014 that includes wage increases.

Library Workers Picket in Beverly, MA

Library workers in Beverly, MA were among the city workers picketing outside an event featuring an address from the mayor. The workers are currently without a contract, and have stated that the mayor has been slow to begin the bargaining process.

Sandwich Public Library Unionizing

Workers at Sandwich Public Library in Sandwich, Massachusetts are unionizing, joining the American Federation of Teachers. According to the library director, the move to unionize is related to a recent change to personnel policies that made the library's policies consistent with those governing other non-unionized town employees.

New Contract for Library Aides in Lowell, MA

Library aides at Lowell Public Schools have a new two-year contract that includes wage increases. The library aides are represented by SEIU Local 888.

New Contract for Attelboro Public Library Workers

Library workers in Attelboro, Massachusetts have a new three-year contract with city administration that gives employees a four percent raise.

Harvard Research Library Workers Eligible to Join Union

Workers at Dumbarton Oaks, a Harvard library and museum located in Washington, DC, are now eligible to join the Harvard Union of Technical and Clerical Workers. Workers at Dumbarton Oaks were previously excluded from the union because of the library`s location outside of Massachusetts. A vote was held April 1 with 90% turnout.

Contract Dispute at Wellesley Library

Members of the Wellesley Free Library Staff Association are currently engaged in an online campaign to bring attention to their ongoing contract dispute with the town of Wellesley. Wages for the library's part-time workers are at the forefront of the negotiations, with the town demanding increases for part-time wokers' wages be offset by reductions in full-time workers' benefits and wages. The town has rejected the recommendations of a third party fact-finder, and according to the Association's Facebook page, last week's mediation sessions were unsuccessful. Staff at the library have been without a contract since July 2011.

Labor Poster Exhibits

Activist Stephen Lewis has accumulated a large collection of labor posters from organizations across the world. The posters are frequently part of exhibits set up at public libraries in the state of Massachusetts. Some of Lewis's 4,500 posters are currently on display as part of two separate exhibits. During the month of January, Lynnfield Library is hosting The 99% Resist: The Art of the Labor Movement. Another exhibit entitled Human & Labor Rights can be viewed at The Peabody Institute Library of Danvers until the end of February.

Union Votes No Confidence in University President

The union representing faculty and librarians at Westfield State University in Massachusetts has voted no confidence in the university's president Evan Dobelle in response to a spending controversy. Dobelle has been placed on administrative leave.

Union Activist Poster Display

A collection of political and union activist posters is on display at John Curtis Free Library in Hanover, MA. The posters are from a number of countries, and some date back to the 1940s.

New Contract for Bridgewater Public Library Workers

The union representing library workers at Bridgewater Public Library has reached an agreement with the town on a new three-year contract. Library employees will receive retroactive raises but will now have to pay more towards their health benefits. Current employees will be able to continue the practice of cashing out unused sick time when leaving their positions, but this practice will not be extended to future employees. The union had been without a contract since 2011.

Southbridge, MA Union Decertifies

Members of Service Employees International Union Local 888 Southbridge Town/Library Employees voted unanimously earlier this month to decertify. A number of reasons were given for the decertification, including a recent increase in union dues and the employees' belief that the union was not as strong and had fewer grievance rights as compared to other unions. One worker stated “For me, I wasn't sure it was a great fit with a white-collar job.”

New Contract for Saugus Public Library

Staff at Saugus Public Library have reached an agreement with the town of Saugus regarding the details of their new contract, which includes wage increases and additional personal days. However, part-time staff will no longer be able to accrue sick time and no staff will be able to cash out unused sick time at retirement.

Restructuring at Harvard Library

Harvard Library has recently undergone a number of changes, all part of efforts to restructure library services. The library is now operating under a "shared services" model, with the centralization of a number of services.

These changes have adversely impacted library workers. Library staff have voiced their concerns arising from these changes in a number of ways, including passing out flyers, sending letters to administration, and participating in rallies and pickets. Non-managerial staff at Harvard Library, members of AFSCME Local 3650, the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, are currently without a contract.

Harvard Library update

From the article:

The Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, which represents many of the workers in the Harvard Library system, released an open letter to the Harvard community Monday morning that raised concerns of understaffing in the Library and the lack of transparency in the ongoing restructuring process.

HUCTW leaders wrote the letter in response to Harvard University Library Executive Director Helen Shenton’s Jan. 19 announcement that the Library would reduce its staff through a voluntary retirement process and possibly layoffs.

The letter, which features testimony from unnamed union and non-union workers, warned that the transition process may fail if it does not involve workers, adding that understaffing and outsourcing already threaten the Library system’s quality.

Harvard Library update

Harvard Library management has announced that it will form three joint councils with the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers to better plan and implement the proposed re-organization of the library system.  This move comes after protests by library workers, faculty, and students at Harvard University against management moves to unilaterally implement a "re-organization" that would leave many workers jobless.  However, the Harvard-based Student Labor Action Movement is wary and will still oppose all management attempts to lay off workers.