Employees of the Boulder Public Library system in Colorado are on their way to gaining full union rights after a framework for collective bargaining was unanimously approved by the library board.
“Workers at the Boulder Public Library are excited to be one step closer to having a seat at the table,” the workers said in a statement. “We thank the board for voting … to approve a fair collective bargaining framework that will allow us to improve Boulder's libraries and the essential public services we proudly provide to this community.”
The vote was the result of months of organizing groundwork laid by library workers. They want the security and support of a union contract and a meaningful voice in helping the library system better serve the people of Boulder.
“These librarians are the folks in the trenches, along with our custodial staff, tech staff, accounting — everyone is part of this system that is working so tightly together,” said Karen Bowen, the adult literacy program coordinator at Boulder Public Library and a member of the organizing committee. “We have the capacity at the ground level to see how our functions interrelate and bring that experience back to leadership and management and help make it all better for the public.”
The Boulder Public Library District Board of Trustees approved a framework for collective bargaining on April 21, which is National Library Workers’ Day.
The next step is for an independent third party to verify that a majority of the library workers want a union, and then there will be another vote to recognize the union.
So far, a supermajority of eligible workers in the Boulder library system have signed cards to form the union with AFSCME Colorado.
More than 50,000 workers in libraries, museums and other cultural institutions across the country have gained a voice on the job through the AFSCME Cultural Workers United campaign.