Bargaining Sessions 12, 13 & 14

January 6, 7, and 8

It’s been a big week. We updated the bargaining tracker on our first day of economic bargaining because we wanted to immediately share the initial proposals on wages and leave from both sides. There’s a lot at stake, and we need to hear from you; see the end of this update for an opportunity to give feedback. 

Last week, management proposed wages far below the rate of inflation, and even lower than the inevitable cost of living increases over the duration of the contract. They proposed radical changes to PTO, restricting our use of sick time severely, and limiting unpaid time requests. While at first CLP proposed eliminating paid medical leave, over the course of negotiations with us they restored it in their revised proposals. We’ll continue to negotiate to protect and improve our leave options. 

We also passed ambitious but reasonable proposals reflecting your priorities expressed in the Bargaining Survey. We proposed expanding leave options and included new language for paid leave related to wellness and caregiving. We proposed increasing wages across the board for our entire unit. 

We aligned our wage proposal to CLP's financial position. We all want the library to remain financially stable and to provide the high quality library services our community deserves while providing staff with the wage increases they need to match the rising cost of living. Revenues have increased this year thanks largely to the work we've done at CLP to offer expanded hours and improved services. 

As always, nothing is final until you, the membership, vote on it. Everything we’ve negotiated on so far remains subject to change. Let us know what you think! Follow this link to a form where you can weigh in on CLP’s proposals.

You can continue to reach the Bargaining Committee at unitedlibraryworkers@gmail.com. Our next Unit Meeting is on February 1st, where you can come speak with us and hear a full report in person. 

In Solidarity, 
The Bargaining Committee of USW 9562**