Employees of the Urbana Free Library (UFL) in Illinois recently joined AFSCME. The sixty (60) employees of the UFL voted unanimously to form their union, which was certified by the Illinois Labor Relations Board on November 6, 2024. According to AFSCME, library employees were motivated to organize by a pattern of unfair and unequal treatment from management. Workers were frustrated and disheartened to see decisions being made that resulted in turnover and the demoralization of library staff. They said decisions … Read the rest
Category Archives: Unions
Saskatoon (Canada) Library Workers Staged a One-Day Walk-Out
This article is from the November 2024 issue.
Hundreds of employees from Saskatoon’s (Saskatchewan, Canada ) nine public libraries went on strike Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, according to this report.
The single-day job action is a response to an ongoing labor dispute between CUPE 2669 ─the union representing library employees─ and the Saskatoon Public Library (SPL).
Workers are concerned about inadequate wages, the right to have more than one person work at service points, and employee safety. (Library staff say they have witnessed a dramatic increase in … Read the rest
Union Election Petitions Up; Labor Board Activity Highest in a Decade
This article is from the October 2024 issue.
According to a recent news release, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) received 3,286 union election petitions from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024 (fiscal year 2024), up 27% from the previous fiscal year when the Agency received 2,593 petitions. This is more than double the number of petitions received since FY 2021, when the NLRB received 1,638 petitions.
Likewise, from FY 2023 to FY 2024, unfair labor practice charge filings increased 7% (from 19,869 to 21,292 cases). … Read the rest
President Biden Signs Executive Order Directing Agencies to Prioritize Pro-Union and Union Neutrality Policies
This article is from the September 2024 issue.
On September 6, 2024, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Investing in America and Investing in American Workers (the ”Good Jobs EO”), that promotes strong labor standards such as family-sustaining wages, workplace safety, and the free and fair opportunity to join a union, and encourages agencies to implement these standards through their Investing in America programs.
The President’s Good Jobs EO calls on agencies to adopt a series of high-road labor standards that have long been recognized … Read the rest
Anne Arundel County Public Library Workers File Union Petition for Official Recognition
This article is from the July 2024 issue.
Workers of the Anne Arundel County Public Library system (AACPL in Maryland) joined forces to form a union with AFSCME Council 3. The union represents nearly 400 librarians, library associates, circulation staff, building care technicians and other employees of the AACPL system
According to their website, reasons for wanting a union include the ability to fight for:
- Fair wages, a safe work environment and adequate staffing;
- Transparent and timely communication where frontline workers’ experiences are valued in the
Teachers Union Locks Out Its Staffers Following 3-Day Strike
This article is from the July 2024 issue.
According to this report, the largest union in the country, the National Education Association (NEA), has locked its own workers out of their jobs after they went on strike for three days during the NEA Representative Assembly’s annual convention (July 4-7, 2024) in Philadelphia. The report indicates that staff at the NEA said they were told not to report to work at the union’s headquarters in Washington on Monday, July 8.
During the convention, NEA posted the following message … Read the rest
Labor Ally and Civil Rights Leader, Rev. James Lawson Jr., Dies at 95
This article is from the June 2024 issue.
Earlier this month, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) released statements of condolences on the passing of Reverend James Lawson, Jr. According to a report from Associated Press detailing much of Rev. Lawson’s life, Lawson’s family said he died on June 9th after a short illness in Los Angeles, where he spent decades working as a pastor, labor movement organizer and university professor. … Read the rest
Jefferson County (Colorado) Public Library Workers Make History
This article is from the May 2024 issue.
Workers of the Jefferson County Public Library (Colorado) made history a couple of months ago (March 2024) by becoming the first group to organize a union under the state’s new collective bargaining law for county employees. According to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the workers voted to form a union with AFSCME Council 18. The 350 library workers won their union election on March 7 with 81% voting yes; the vote tally was 213-62. … Read the rest
Recordings of Webinars Hosted by SSLW Committee Now Available
This article is from the May 2024 issue.
The ALA-APA Salaries and Status of Library Workers Committee hosted two discussions this month. The recordings are now available free of charge.
The first session, “What Comes after Unionization: Effective Engagement with Library Workers,” was held on May 8, 2024. A panel of experienced library leaders discussed ways to successfully engage with a unionized workforce. This event was designed for libraries that have unionized within the past five years and/or for libraries that appear to be heading towards unionization. The … Read the rest
ALA-APA SSLW Committee to Host Two Webinars
This article is from the April 2024 issue.
ALA-APA SSLW Committee to Host Two Webinars on Unions
The ALA Allied Professional Association’s (ALA-APA) Salaries and Status of Library Workers (SSLW) committee invites you to join them for the following two sessions.
Empowering Library Workers: Navigating Unionization in Challenging Environments
May 1st, 1:30 – 3:00pm (Central) / 2:30 – 4:00pm (Eastern)
Register now.
Library workers across the country are facing numerous external challenges involving funding and governance, the alarming rate of book challenges and successful bans, threats … Read the rest
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