SEIU: Workers in 25+ Cities Walk Off Jobs to Confront Systemic Racism

In a press release issued July 8th, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) reported that thousands of workers in 25+ cities organized by SEIU, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the American Federation of Teachers, United Farm Workers, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and the Fight for $15 and a Union would walk off the job July 20th to demand action from corporations and the government to confront systemic racism.

Workers who cannot strike for the entire day will walk off the job for 8 minutes, the amount of time a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, to draw attention to the issues of systemic violence directed towards Black people in the United States.

Along with the press release above, you can also find more information on the action on the Strike for Black Lives website.

Scene: Cleveland Public Library, Employees Union reach deal to avoid strike

The Cleveland Scene reports that a deal was finalized between Cleveland Public Library and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199 negotiators. The deal, reached on the last scheduled day of negotiations, will prevent a strike that was set to begin on February 4th following an overwhelming vote by membership to authorize strike action.

The contract must still be ratified by membership at a vote scheduled for this coming Wednesday. No details of the contract have been made public yet.

ABC: Celveland Library workers authorize strike

According to Cleveland's local ABC affiliate, a near unanimous vote by members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199 authorized a strike if necessary as library workers in Cleveland Public Libraries have been without a contract since January 1st.

Not strike has been called nor a strike notice issued to the library, but the strength of the vote gives SEIU negotiators a much stronger hand at the table as issues of library security remain a sticking point in negotiations.

Last week, the Union Library Workers blog reported on negotiations between the library and library worker's union at Cleveland Public Libraries. As an update to this unfolding story, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has begun a petition asking supporters of the library workers to sign. The text of their petition reads:

The women and men who work at the Cleveland Public Library proudly serve our neighborhood and our community every day, providing vital resources, services, and information for people like us.

However, decisions by Cleveland Public Library executives have eroded staffing, increased workloads and ignored the concerns of the public and the employees about the safety and security at library branches throughout the city. These decisions could put our local library at greater risk.

Demand library executives bargain in good faith with Cleveland Public Library workers for a contract that keeps everyone safe and respects the dignity of their work.

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

Oregon State University Workers Talk Strike

Classified employees at Oregon State University — the secretaries, food service workers, physical plant operators and other support staff — say they’re getting left behind economically and could go on strike if they don’t get a better contract....

article by Bennett Hall

http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/osu-workers-talk-strike/article_90cd63a0-d700-5bad-bef6-33018eef1b51.html

Michigan Librarian Describes Union Busting

Westland, Mich. — Workers World newspaper recently interviewed one of the public employee librarians who won a fight for union representation in Westland, Mich., a suburb of beleaguered Detroit...

article by Randi Nord

http://www.workers.org/2017/07/17/michigan-librarians-win-struggle-vs-union-busting/#.WYZSpTbeKRs

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Deal Reached at Saskatchewan Public Schools

Support staff at Saskatchewan's South East Cornerstone Public School Division have reached a tentative deal with the school's administration, ending strike action that began in April.

Strike at Saskatchewan Public Schools

Library workers are among the support staff set to go on strike today at the South East Cornerstone Public School Division in southeast Saskatchewan. Support staff at the school are members of Service Employees International Union.

South East Cornerstone Public School Division

South East Cornerstone Public School Division

South East Cornerstone Public School Division

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.

New Collective Agreement for Stark County District Library Workers

Employees at Stark County District Library in Canton, Ohio have a new collective agreement that includes increased pay rates. Library employees are represented by Service Employees International Union District 1199.

Union Excluded from Policy Discussions

Service Employees International Union Local 205, which represents staff at Chattanooga Public Library, was recently excluded from discussions regarding the library's adoption of city personnel policies. A union representative stated that this exclusion is a violation of the memorandum of understanding between the city and the union. A petition had earlier been signed by staff members requesting that the library board postpone voting on this issue until board members met and discussed the proposed changes with the union.