1 min read

Season 2, Episode 138

Library workers succeed in organizing, but still face union election

AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_oft

 

Guest Name:

Melissa Cropper

Guest Website:

www.oft-aft.org

Guest Social Media:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

LinkedIn

Mentions:

Library workers at one central Ohio library system have strived for nearly a year to organize and form a union. Steadily inching ever closer to achieving their goal, they face one more hurdle — the election to determine if the Union has the right to exist.

Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper has worked closely with the workers in their efforts and is proud of what they have accomplished. In the latest AWF Union Podcast, Cropper discussed the organizing drive, the challenges the workers faced and the need for an election despite being the only library in Ohio yet to unionize.

Organizing library workers

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, library workers in the Worthington Public Library system realized the need to form a union. The 120 librarians and library workers wanted to elevate their voice and improve their work conditions.

In the midst of the pandemic, Cropper said employees faced shift reassignments and restructured workloads, which left employees working inconsistent shifts at various locations. These disruptions led to significant turnover, further stressing the employees who stayed in the system.

Nearly 70 percent of the employees signed union cards. Cropper said the library board refused to voluntarily recognize the union, and an election will be held in September.

For almost a year, the organizing team worked to convince their coworkers the union would improve their working situation. By leveraging a majority of workers in support of the Union, they have managed to fend off anti-union attacks. Cropper said coordinating employees proved difficult during a pandemic since face-to-face contact was limited.

The workers are in high spirits and believe they will prevail in the election. Since the election is not until September, Cropper is confident support for the Union and the momentum to organize will increase.

Ohio school funding

Cropper reminded listeners that the current system to fund Ohio’s public schools is unconstitutional. The system is slowly changing, however. Cropper applauded state representatives who added the Fair School Funding Plan into the two-year budget.

 


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

SUBSCRIBE ON:

Group 342

Group 341

Group 343

Group 339

Group 397

Group 397