Library Workers in Ireland Vote on Industrial Action

Library workers in twelve counties in Ireland were asked to vote on industrial action after plans were announced to amalgamate library services. IMPACT, the union representing the library workers, has stated that the workers and other relevant officials were not properly consulted about the plans, which could leave some counties without a librarian and force workers to travel long distances to get to their new workplace. In total, 87% of the library workers voted in favor of industrial action. The affected counties include: Carlow, Cavan, Cork City, Cork County, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath.

Plans to Close 54 Newfoundland Libraries Suspended

Dale Kirby, education minister of Newfoundland and Labrador, has announced that the planned closure of 54 library branches in that province has been suspended until an external review is completed. According to Kirby, public concern over the plans to close rural library branches and lay off library employees has prompted the suspension. CUPE Local 2329, the union representing Newfoundland's public library workers, has held information pickets, ran TV ads, and encouraged members of the community to make their opposition to the planned closures heard.

VIDEO: CUPE Launches TV Ad Campaign in Newfoundland & Labrador

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, the union that represents library workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, will be launching a TV campaign next week to protest the recently announced decision to close 54 of the province's libraries. 

While the province maintains that the closures and resulting lay-offs are necessary due to budget cuts, one of the CUPE ads contrasts the anticipated $1 million in savings with the $1.4 million in severance the province will be paying a former CEO of Nalcor, a provincial energy corporation.

A map of the libraries that are currently scheduled to close over the next two years can be viewed here. Contact information for the province's education minister as well as a template email protesting the closures are available via the Newfoundland and Labrador Library Association website. 

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.

Accusation of Union Busting in Newfoundland

The Canadian Union of Public Employees has accused the government of Newfoundland and Labrador of union busting in response to recently announced changes to library services. Fifty-four of the provinces' public library branches are slated to close over the next two years, resulting in sixty employees losing their jobs. The education minister recently announced that volunteers and student workers may be asked to staff school libraries during the evenings in order to provide some services to the communities left without a public library branch. Dawn Lahey, head of CUPE Local 2329, said: 

What a slap in the face to someone. Not only union busting, but it's a slap in the face to someone who's given their life to that library.

Bristol Library Workers Vote in Favor of Strike

Library assistants in Bristol have voted in favor of strike action in response to the closure of one of the city's libraries and the reduction of hours at the remaining six libraries. The changes in hours of operation has resulted in changes to the library assistants' work schedules. The workers are members of UNISON.

Strike in Lambeth

Library workers in Lambeth held a two-day strike last week in protest of planned branch closures. The workers were joined by UNISON members from nearby districts, as well as supporters from the community. The planned closures in Lambeth echo a troubling trend in the UK of library closures, conversion of library spaces to exercise facilities, and reliance on volunteers to run library services.

Photos and video of last week's strike can be viewed on the union's blog.

Planned Library Closures in Darlington, UK

Unite, the union representing library workers in the borough of Darlington, has spoken out against planned cuts to library services in that borough. The council has proposed closing two of the library branches in the borough as well as the library's mobile service, which would also result in the loss of thirty staff positions.

Library Closures and Lay-Offs in Kirklees

Despite the efforts of Unite Community in petitioning against lay-offs and closures in Kirklees Council, cabinet ministers there have approved a plan to close two of the council's twenty-six library locations and possibly eliminate 88 full-time equivalent positions. Only eight of the remaining libraries will be staffed by librarians and funded by the council. The other sixteen libraries will rely on volunteers and a single council employee at each location. All mobile library services have been eliminated.

Petition to Stop Closure of Imperial War Museum Library

Prospect union has launched a petition in response to the proposed closure of England's Imperial War Museum library. The Museum and its library were founded in 1917 and, according to its website, have a mandate "to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and 'wartime experience'". According to a Prospect spokesperson:

Closing IWM's library is not a fitting way to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. IWM aspires to be a highly respected authority on its subject matter, but this will be impossible without a library.

Closure of the library would result in the loss of up to 80 jobs in addition to the loss of this collection. Sign the petition here. 

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.

National Labor College to Close

The National Labor College in Maryland is set to close soon after a failed campus renovation project and declining support from the AFL-CIO, one of its primary backers.  The College offers degrees in union-related fields to its students, the majority of whom are union members. More information about the closure can be found on the College's website.

Potential Library Closures in Wales

Unison has asked councillors in Wales to "think long and hard" about proposed library closures. Staff, representatives from the union, and community members will be a part of the review that is currently underway, with a final report scheduled for December.

Co-Operative to Take Over Libraries in Lincolnshire, UK

Lincolnshire Co-operative has offered to take over six libraries that have been slated for closure in Lincolnshire County, UK. Unison, the union representing workers at libraries in Lincolnshire, is against this takeover, which will result in a number of job losses. A demonstration and a march will be held on separate dates in September as part of the Save Lincolnshire Libraries campaign.

Possible Closure of Education Library

Protestors at a May Day demonstration at McGill University spoke out against austerity measures that could include closure of the university's education library and other cuts to library services. A Facebook page called Save McGill Education Library from Closure calls on the University to stop the cuts.

Somerville (Massachusetts) library spared

The West Branch Library in Somerville, Massachusetts has been saved from closure.  The closure was a possibility due to on-going negotiations with the city's firefighter's union that might have led to the city plundering other departments for funds.  However, the city and the firefighters were able to come to an agreement that spared closures in other city departments.

This is a very good time to bring up the concept of industrial unionism, wherein workers in the same industry organize into the same union instead of craft-based unions.  With this model (which is practiced by the Industrial Workers of the World, among other syndicalist organizations), workers are not set to compete against each other in divide-and-conquer strategies by management and are better prepared to support each other in times of struggle.  For instance, every city employee in Somerville could be in the same union, would be much stronger as one organization, and would prevent conflict between firefighters, librarians, and other city employees.  United we stand, divided we fall.

While this blog is devoted to union and labor issues amongst information workers, it is important to remember that we are workers first, librarians (or archivists or library technicians, etc.) second.  There are no borders in the working class!

Labour Party shuns library laborers

The Liverpool city council, currently controlled by the UK's Labour Party, has decided to close a public library dating from the 19th century.  The move is part of wider cuts to public services across Liverpool and the UK that have led the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the civil service union, to declare that Labour will not win re-election in Liverpool.

UAW Research Library Closed

In disheartening news, the United Auto Workers have shut down their own Research Library and its unionized staff (represented by OPEIU) have either been re-assigned or laid-off.  This is a double blow to the profession as it represents the loss of an imporant research resource and it directly relates to the union movement in its subject and governance.

Troy (New York) Library Closure

The Sycaway branch of the Troy Library has now been shut down but according to this article, there is a campaign to keep the branch open with limited hours and be operated by volunteers.  While library closures should be fought by both library workers and the communities which they serve, the use of volunteers to run libraries also sets a disturbing precedent that allows municipal administrators to attack public services in the name of budget restraint while foisting the responsibility to operate services on the public.  Not to mention the potential for using volunteers as a method to undermine unions and drain resources that should be given to professional staff.  And of course, there is the issue that labour should be compensated and should not be expected to be given for free in order to operate a public service.

That's my take on it, anyway.  Thoughts?