Employees of the Champaign Public Library have announced their plan to unionize with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 in a letter released Sunday.
Twenty-six library employees and workers signed the document, expressing their love for the library but also calling for various improvements to the work environment.
“Our recent expansion of hours has indeed provided our community with greater access, but this change has also exacerbated preexisting scheduling and staffing issues,” the letter wrote. “As our workloads continue to push the limits of our capacity, it has become increasingly difficult to provide the exceptional service that our visitors expect and deserve.”
The letter continues by saying that experienced employees were both “left out of important conversations” and denied advancement opportunities.
“Once we have formed our union, the library board and administration must come to the table and negotiate with us as equal partners in building the library that our community deserves,” the letter wrote.
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The move to unionize comes after AFSCME welcomed 60 Urbana Free Library employees in November 2024. The union also represents University library workers and over 25,000 library employees nationwide.
The Daily Illini attempted to reach library employees seeking unionization over the phone but did not immediately receive a response.
Champaign Public Library’s administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment by email or phone on Sunday. An employee at the library information desk told The DI that administrators were out of the office and were unsure whether they would be available for comment before Tuesday.
UPDATE — September 2, 3:00 p.m.
Champaign Public Library’s administration responded to The DI’s request for comment via email, stating they had not been formally made aware of the employees’ unionization effort.
“We are aware that some Library staff have expressed interest in unionizing,” wrote Tricia Duzan, deputy director of the library. “At this time, the Library Administration has not received any formal notice regarding this matter. The Library is committed to respecting the rights of employees under Illinois law, which strictly prohibits any employer influence or interference in any union-related decisions. In the interest of maintaining neutrality, the Library Administration cannot make further comment.”
