Updated 11/11 -

Today we have a positive message to share with you. With your assistance, on November 4th the library workers of the Gloucester County Library System unanimously voted in contracts for both our Rank & File and our Supervisory Bargaining units. Before I share the positive message with you, I want to explain how we got here since our last update.

The last message we sent out over Change.org mentioned that the GCLS Commissioners filed for an impasse against us, effectively halting our negotiation efforts. It is, at that time, our demonstration efforts redoubled. Our bargaining committee began making public requests of Commissioner Chair Frank DiMarco and Commissioner Lyman Barnes (our library liaison) to step in and get negotiations restarted. Members of the public also began to request both publicly and privately for our elected county officials to bring some fairness back to these negotiations. This collective will, voiced at a critical time, was what our library workers needed to reopen communication which ultimately let the negotiation process find a mutually agreeable resolution for both sides.

For our library workers, this second contract begins to make up for what we lost in 2015 by providing a modest but meaningful yearly increase to our worker’s wages, reimbursement for costly association fees, as well as an immediate pay increase for all Library Assistants making under $15.00 to be brought up to that amount. These wage increases are all retroactive back to January 1st of this year. We have secured these benefits for the duration of a five year contract while heading into uncertain economic times.

We would like to acknowledge Gloucester County Commissioners, Chair Frank DiMarco and Library Liaison Lyman Barnes, for their part in helping resolve this impasse. Our library workers all truly hope to move forward positively and proactively from here so that we can continue to focus on providing our patrons with the highest quality library services possible in an ever-changing information landscape.

For you, our supporters, we will always have the deepest of appreciation for choosing to stand with our library workers during these trying times. There is seemingly no shortage of issues to be concerned about in recent years, so the fact that each of you took time to sign our petition, made requests of our public officials, have written to your local papers, and continued to utilize our ever-expanding array of quality library services during this time means the world to each of us. This is because each of you help make our world possible in the first place. Without you, our public, supporting and patronizing these services there would be no Gloucester County Library or Gloucester County library workers.

In solidarity and appreciation,

The Library Workers of the Gloucester County Library System

 

Update 9/28 - As of September 20th the Gloucester County Library Commissioners have seen fit to file for an impasse in our ongoing contract negotiations. This is despite significant financial movement from both sides and the GCL Commission's side saying there was still movement left for negotiating on their side. This action, we believe, is extremely unfair. We will be taking steps to deny the impasse though it will likely go through regardless. This will leave us, without your support, in the hands of "non-binding" arbitration.

Given that the GCL Commission is not directly accountable for these actions, but are appointed by our local County Commissioners (formerly Freeholders), we went on 9/21 to the Commissioners meeting to ask for their support in getting both sides back to the table and to negotiate fairly. Our county officials care about your voices right now more than ever with election season actively underway. So please consider letting your voice be heard in support of your local library workers in their fight for fairness so we can better serve our patrons.

Original Petition:

For over three decades, Gloucester County Library System's (GCLS) library workers have provided fair and equitable treatment to each and every one of our patrons as some of the most public facing county workers around. What we are asking for is your pledge of support letting GCLS' board of Commissioners, GCLS' Director, and Gloucester County Commissioners Lyman Barnes and Frank DiMarco know you expect the same fair and equitable treatment our library workers provide to the public be shown to us in our next contract.

We are currently in our second round of contract negotiations since unionizing with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1085.

In December of 2015, GCLS employees had our anniversary raises taken from us by the GCLS Library Commission (Mario DiLisciandro, Andrea Reahm, John Alice, Donna L. Ragonese and Dave Flaherty) without any means of recourse. We have been fighting since to get these raises back and in the past seven years we are yet to see any meaningful increase in pay return to our salaries. Employees had historically been assured a 2% cost of living adjustment or "COLA" (intended to keep up with inflation) at the beginning of each year and if we were performing our duties satisfactorily then on the anniversary of our hire date we would have received a "step" or "increment" raise of around 3%. It is this increment raise which was taken from us and what we are fighting to reclaim. At the same time, our more senior staff who would have been capped out on their increments also lost a modest longevity bonus they would receive instead of an increase to their base salary. Even with the 2% COLA, GCLS employees are effectively making less today in 2022 than compared to 5 or even 10 years ago. And this was true before record level inflation began setting in.

We were told in 2015 just before the New Year holiday that our increments were being stripped from us for the "longevity of the system" and that this was something we would all have to endure together. Just three months later in March 2016, our then Director (Anne Wodnick) received the first of two $5000 a year increases to her salary she would receive before retiring in 2018. There was only one dissenting vote within the GCLS Library Commission standing against this pay increase which also exceeded the 2% salary increase threshold set at the time by Freeholder Damminger. Meanwhile, GCLS' workers were seeing our paychecks shrink and being told we were lucky to have a job at all.

It was after this that we had began to unionize with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1085. Unionizing itself was a major victory for our workers securing CWA representation and our first contract but we were unable to make any movement financially for our members. We are currently in our second round of contract negotiations and attempting to make up for the raises that were lost in 2015.

We all know full well this is an uphill battle but it is one that is well worth fighting. We frankly cannot do this without an unprecedented show of public support from you, our valued lifelong patrons. We have helped your children discover the love of reading. We have helped you with your tax documents. We have helped you by providing welcoming meeting spaces to learn and gather together. We have helped you sign up for your first email account and with all of your wonderful reference questions. Now we need your help in return so we can continue to provide you with the quality service we dedicated our careers to providing, but we cannot continue to do so without the return of sustainable wages to GCLS' employees.

Please sign to show your love and support for a group of county workers who have been and will always be there for you.

Truly,

Your Gloucester County Library Staff.

P.S. If prompted to make a donation by Change.org, just know that those funds do not go directly to our cause, but these donations do encourage Change.org to further promote our cause. It is great to support this platform but please do not feel obliged to do so on our behalf.