American Library Association employees forming union with AFSCME

Joining the wave of union organizing among cultural workers, employees of the primarily Chicago-based American Library Association (ALA) announced they are forming their union with AFSCME Council 31.

The announcement came in an open letter to coworkers released today and signed by 40 ALA employees.

When certified, the union—American Library Association Workers United/AFSCME—will represent more than 100 ALA workers.

In their letter, employees say they’re forming their union to “protect staff’s work, well-being, and ALA’s future.”

Citing “recent multi-round layoffs, increased workloads, benefits reductions, financial crises, ingrained salary disparities, and lack of transparent decision-making”, they say ALA employees deserve job security, stable benefits, better pay, more professional development opportunities and a voice in the policies that affect them.

View or download the letter here.

“Experienced staff are the backbone of this association. A union helps protect the knowledge, continuity, and dedication that make our work possible,” said David Connolly, a member of the union organizing committee who has worked at ALA for 23 years. “No one should have to choose between serving the profession with a sharp focus on advancing ALA’s mission and protecting their own well-being. This union creates the stable, predictable workplace environment that allows staff to do both.”

AFSCME represents more than 35,000 library workers nationwide—more than any other union—including some 3,000 AFSCME Council 31 members who work in Illinois libraries in Chicago, its suburbs, Peoria, Rockford, Aurora, at state universities, the Newberry Library and elsewhere. The union also represents thousands of employees of nonprofit organizations throughout the state.

Founded in 1876, the American Library Association is the world's oldest and largest member organization for libraries. It promotes libraries and the freedom to read, offers professional development opportunities, publishes several periodicals, oversees many awards including the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, advocates for libraries and library workers at the state and federal levels, and more.

Members of the ALAWU union organizing committee will begin gathering signed union cards from their coworkers. When they have gathered supermajority support, they will ask ALA leadership to voluntarily recognize their union.