HANOVER, N.H. – Workers at the Dartmouth College library have voted overwhelmingly to form a union through AFSCME Council 93.
In a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administered mail ballot election, members of Dartmouth College Library Workers' United (DCLWU) voted this month to join forces with AFSCME by a vote of 63-11.
The workers reached out to Council 93 last year with concerns over compensation, staffing and the lack of clear guidelines on advancement. They wanted a voice to make Dartmouth Libraries fairer and more equitable for all. Read DCLWU’s public letter.
The unionization campaign went public in April when dozens of library workers and supporters gathered in Dartmouth's Baker-Berry Library to announce that they had filed a petition for a union election with the NLRB. The workers then marched on the offices of the dean of libraries and the college provost seeking voluntary recognition for their union.
After the vote, DCLWU members said, “We're grateful to everyone who voted. The support for union representation and collective bargaining humbles us. And we look forward to working with everyone, especially those who voted against unionization. We have found our voice. One library. One union.”
After the votes were tallied, Eddie Nastari, Council 93's director of field services and organizing, noted the effort it takes to successfully win a union election.
"Welcome to AFSCME Council 93, DCLWU!” he said.
The union will now work on negotiating a first contract.
Through AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United campaign, workers at museums, libraries, zoos and other cultural institutions are building power across the country. More than 10,000 museum workers at more than 100 cultural institutions in the public and private sectors have formed unions through AFSCME, as have more than 25,000 library workers at 275 public and private libraries.