UWO Librarian Strike Ends As Both Sides Ratify New Agreement

Despite the administration's current statement on the value of librarians, it has previously drawn fire for saying that "[a]ll services to students will carry on as usual" during the strike. In a September 15 post to the Canadian Library Association listserv, UWO library school professor Sam Trosow wrote, "[O]ne wonders...if all services can carry on as usual without the professional library staff, why do we need a professional library staff?...Libraries without librarians (and archives without archivists) is hardly business as usual."

The University of Western Ontario (UWO) Board of Governors and the UWO Faculty Association Librarians and Archivists (UWOFA-LA) bargaining unit announced today that they have ratified a new collective agreement, in which the 51 librarians and archivists represented by UWOFA-LA will receive a 1.5 percent base salary increase each year for four years. The agreement ends a strike by the librarians and archivists that began on September 8, the first day of classes at UWO, which is located in London, ON, Canada.

60 Workers at New York Public Library AFSCME DC 37 Awarded $200,000

Sixty workers at the New York Public Library were awarded a total of $200,000 in retroactive Sunday overtime pay under a July arbitration ruling.

The arbitrator ordered the library to reinstate its longtime practice of premium pay for voluntary overtime work on Sundays and give the affected members back pay from Aug. 1, 2010, when the union filed the grievance, to July 19, the date of the decision.

The dispute erupted in the summer of 2010 when the library reneged on its commitment to resume paying workers overtime on Sundays, even if they did not work 40 hours during the week. Local 1930 had agreed to a temporary deferral of the practice earlier that year as the library claimed to face a cash shortage as well as deep budget cuts in the coming fiscal year.

After the library refused to reinstate the practice, the union filed a group grievance.

Local 1930 President Valentin Colon, retired member Irene Pietraszeski and Library Technical Aide 2 Lillian Cohen, the LTA rep on the local's executive board, testified at the arbitration hearing. Cohen explained that she relied on the extra pay to cover the educational expenses of her son, Cedric Bolden, who is studying business administration at Bronx Community College. Former Council Rep Lisa Riccio gathered information for the grievance.

DC 37 Sr. Assistant General Counsel Steven Sykes argued the union's case that the Sunday premium pay was an established past practice that the library was obligated to continue. The Sunday premium pay is not guaranteed under the local's contract with the library, but, Sykes explained, once an employer follows such a policy for a long time, it becomes a binding "past practice"-just as binding as contractual benefits.

"For the members it was a slap in the face that management decided to deny the overtime pay after they sacrificed to help out the library in a budget crisis," Riccio said.

Colon praised the members' patience as the dispute dragged on, noting that they had continued to work Sundays without the overtime pay because of their commitment to their jobs and confidence that they would eventually be properly compensated.

"It's great," Cohen said of the arbitration ruling. "Times are bad. So people really felt the loss of the extra pay."

Librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario are on strike

Librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario are on strike Thursday morning [September 8, 2011).
Talks between the workers, represented by the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association, and the university broke down Wednesday.
"The two sides remain divided, primarily over monetary issues, although the university has offered to establish a pay equity process," UWO said in a release Wednesday.

New York City Labor History Map

Happy Labor Day. Librarians everywhere are union members and protectors of labor history.

=========
New York City Labor History Map
Welcome to the New York City Labor History Map, a joint project between the New York Labor History Association and the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. This web-based map builds on previous research published by the New York Labor History Association and enables users to explore, by location or date, key events in the city's labor history. It documents the history of working men and women in New York City and their struggle to gain concessions such as the eight-hour work day, better pay, improved working conditions, decent and affordable housing, collective bargaining rights, healthcare and pension plans. It also documents important aspects of the city's political and social history, its major protagonists and their contributions to the lives of ordinary people. The site features images and audio to enliven this facet of New York City history. Unless otherwise noted the photographs, papers and oral histories hightlighted here originate from the collections of the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Cuts Diminish Service

"What concerns us is what is lost along the way," said Tim Galvin, president of the librarians union. "The quality of service we provide has been diminished, including the level of human interaction people are used to."

Libraries locally and across the country are facing enormous challenges from the rapid advance of technology, changing community needs and increased use.
Yet, while they're being asked to do more during these economically hard times, their budgets and staffing have been slashed.
That's the case with the 37-branch Buffalo & Erie County Public Library system, which is struggling to serve its patrons and keep abreast of technological changes while coping with austerity measures.



[thanks LP]

Mentoring Toolkit from Union Plus

The AFL-CIO created Union Privilege in 1986 to provide union members and their families with valuable consumer benefits. With Union Plus benefits, your union membership "pays" at work and at home.
By using the collective buying power of unions, we are able to offer valuable, discounted products and services exclusively to working families.


The Mentoring Toolkit is designed to assist union organizations in creating their own mentoring program.
This toolkit is organized as follows:

• Administration - An overview of a mentoring program
• Best Practices - Mentoring forms and tips
• Leadership Training - Labor Schools and Programs
• Networking - ListServs and AFL-CIO constituency groups
• Recommended Reading - Books about mentoring and recommended reading

====
[thanks, SM].