"...anti-worker liberal hypocrisy..."

Women's College vs. Women Workers

"Don't be fooled by their progressive rhetoric. Even the most 'socially conscious' university administrator is still a boss."

Article by Meghan Brophy in Jacobin 7/13/2017

Although not specifically focused on libraries, Brophy's article describes a dynamic in labor relations all too familiar to library workers.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/07/barnard-adjuncts-ivy-league-feminism-labor-unions-privilege-intersectionality

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/

Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017 ULW recommends

Happy New Year to union activists from Union Library Worker!  Recommended acquisition for 2017 for all library collections the 2nd edition of Troublemaker's Handbook from the folks at Labor Notes (you ought to subscribe to it as well).   Support and inspire the social/workplace/environmental justice activists in your community!

http://www.labornotes.org/store/troublemakers-handbook-2

Christmas Day 2016 — Six months on strike in Ontario

Meet the defiant library workers waging one of the region's longest strikes ever

by Anne Jarvis, Windsor Star

“…Wightman celebrated her 50th birthday on the picket line. Someone else celebrated a wedding anniversary; her husband joined her. At least one member lost her mother. Another lost an aunt.

The strike has been one of the toughest things many of these people have ever done.

Neumiller, who has two young children, pickets three times as many hours as she works — for less pay. One woman collapsed from heat stroke last summer. Now, ‘it’s pretty flippin’ cold out there,’ said Johnson. They all got glove warmers last week.”

http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/jarvis-meet-the-defiant-library-workers-waging-one-of-the-regions-longest-strikes-ever

Collective self-governance at University of Manitoba -- a union issue, Canada

Beyond Bread and Butter
by Jen Hedler Phillis, Jacobin Magazine

When we think of strikes, we usually think of disputes over wages and benefits. Strikes make the case that it’s easier for bosses to pay workers more than to run a company without them.

But unions often fight for more than money. Workers can walk off the job to demand new rights at work, fighting for control over their working conditions.

The recent strike at University of Manitoba focused on these issues. At the end of negotiations, the provincial government intervened, demanding both parties sign a one-year contract with no wage increase. The University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA), which represents 1,200 full-time faculty and librarians, filed an unfair labor practice complaint.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/12/university-manitoba-strike-union-umfa-bargaining/
University of Manitoba Faculty Association website: http://www.umfa.ca

On strike since June 25 - Essex County Library - CUPE

The library strike in Essex County continues after contract negotiations once again fell apart. 

Officials from the Essex County Library Board issued a statement Wednesday night, saying they spent another two days talking with CUPE Local 2974, but those discussions failed...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/library-contract-talks-1.3762731

Tentative Agreement Reached for Mississauga Library Workers

A tentative agreement has been reached between CUPE Local 1989, the union representing library workers in Mississauga, and the city. Details of the agreement won't be available until it is ratified. The workers have been on strike since July 4.

CUPE Shows Support for Striking Library Workers in Ontario

Striking library workers in Ontario received support from the provincial and national levels of the Canadian Union of Public Employees this week. CUPE officials attended a rally in support of workers at the Essex County Library system, who are members of CUPE Local 2974, as well as a solidarity barbecue for workers at Mississauga Library System, members of CUPE Local 1989. The president of CUPE Local 1989 said: 

"Knowing we have such tremendous support from our community allies and from CUPE Ontario and CUPE National is nothing short of amazing for us."

Essex library workers have been on strike since June 25. Workers from Mississauga began striking on July 4.

Greenwich Library Workers Stage 48-Hour Strike

The planned cancellation of a mobile book service has prompted Greenwich library workers to strike for 48 hours this week. Over the last year, the mobile book service delivered 33,000 books to area children at schools and child-care centers. A Unite official said:

Literacy is a fundamental human right and anything that erodes that life chance should be strongly opposed. Good reading skills are the key to decent employment in adulthood – so the blinkered actions of the council need to be condemned.

Mississauga Library Workers on Strike

Library workers in Mississauga, ON are on strike, closing all 18 library branches. The workers are represented by CUPE Local 1989.

Strike Over at National Museum of Wales

A "long-running dispute" at the National Museum of Wales over weekend payments appears to have been settled after the museum workers accepted the administration's latest offer. In the past, museum workers were paid a premium for working on weekends, but the museum no longer wants to pay this premium. The accepted offer includes a 4% wage increase and a lump sum payout equal to five years' worth of premium payments, and comes after workers have been striking periodically for the last two years. The workers are represented by Public and Commercial Services Union.

Strike Vote in Mississauga

Library workers in Mississauga have voted in favor of strike action and may be on the picket lines July 4. The workers, members of CUPE Local 1989, have cited low wages and the precarious nature of many library positions as issues needing to be addressed in the collective agreement currently under negotiation.

Essex County Library Workers on Strike

Workers at Essex County Library in Ontario have been on strike since Saturday, June 25. At issue for the workers are proposed changes to policies related to short-term disability and sick leave. The library system has 14 library branches and 58 workers who are represented by CUPE Local 2974. According to the union unit chair:

"Management and the county created a phantom issue to push workers out on the picket line – sick time is not a problem at our workplace and the employer and the county know this and have acknowledged it."

Strike in Lewisham

Library workers in the London borough of Lewisham went on strike on Saturday in response to plans to close four of the borough's library branches. The workers, members of UNISON, were joined by library workers from Lambeth as well as community library supporters. Photos of the strike can be viewed here.

Bristol Library Workers Strike

Library workers in Bristol, England went on strike earlier this week in protest of changes to their work schedules. Due to changes to the libraries' opening hours, workers will be scheduled to work an increased number of shorter shifts. Bristol City Council chose to shorten the libraries' opening hours instead of closing library branches in order to save money. The workers are represented by UNISON.

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.

Toronto Public Library Workers Vote for Strike Action

Members of Toronto Public Library Workers Union (CUPE Local 4948) have voted in favor of strike action as contract negotiations with the city continue. As previously noted on this blog, one of the major issues for the union is the increasing number of precarious positions in the library system.

Strike at Bolton College

Bolton College was closed on Wednesday as library workers, lecturers, and support staff went on strike amid proposals for a wage freeze. The workers are represented by Unison and University and College Union.

Supporters Speak Up For Libraries in UK

Yesterday library staff, authors, and other library supporters gathered together at Central Hall Westminster in London as part of Speak Up For Libraries, a rally in protest of widespread funding cuts and closures of library services across the UK. After several speeches from various library supporters and a UNISON representative, attendees were encouraged to meet with their Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. Search the hashtag #SUFLlobby16 on Twitter for pictures and commentary on yesterday's event.

Staff at several library systems, including Greenwich, Bromley, and Lambeth, are on strike this week in conjunction with yesterday's protest. Tim O'Dell, a UNISON representative, said:

We’re closing the libraries for a day to fight for the future of the service.

A library staff member was quoted as saying:

Libraries are a valuable community resource providing all sort of services. What replaces that if you take it away? These gyms will have a few shelves of books—that’s not a library service. 

Various boroughs have proposed closing libraries, staffing remaining library branches with volunteers, and incorporating library services into "leisure centers" including gym facilities, in response to cuts in funding.

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.