March 2024

3/27/2024

We Did It!

Contract Ratification Passes with Membership Vote!

Thanks to your efforts, every vote was counted and the MOU 6 Rank & File Librarians and MOU 16 Supervisory Librarians contracts have been approved and will go into effect.

In addition to the contract gains won by the Coalition of City Unions (as sent in a previous email), the Guild has garnered significant improvements.

Coalition wins include:

Term of contract: December 31, 2023- December, 2028

22% in COLAs: April 2024 3%, October 2024 3%, July 2025 4%, July 2026 4%, July 2027 3%, January 2028 3 %, July 2028 2%

100% payout for sick time at retirement and for annual overages.

Converting 16 hours of Personal Leave into two new Floating Holidays.

Retaining 24 hours of Personal Leave; any unused hours cashed out after December 31.

Doubling the length of Paid Parental Leave to 12 paid weeks off.

Minimum wages increased: April ‘24 $20.00, October ‘24 $21.50, 2025 $23.00, 2026 $25.00

Multiple bilingual bonuses for multiple languages used.

Acting Supervisor pay begins after 10 cumulative, not consecutive, days.

Guild wins include:

Significant increase in starting salary for Librarian I (and the hourly wage for sub librarians).

Relocation Allowance for new employees recruited from afar.

Increase in travel allowance for travel between work sites.

Updated amounts for training and ergonomic equipment.

Agreement to work on establishing minimum staffing levels.

Agreement to work on establishing Student Librarian classifications and recruitment program.

Agreement to work on improving bilingual compensation for translations.

Support Burbank Librarians

Show your support for Burbank librarians and library workers nationwide by signing their petition and showing up in your AFSCME green at Burbank City Hall, located at 275 E Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91502, on April 3rd at 4:30PM.

Sign the Petition

Burbank Public Library’s administrators are attempting to eliminate the minimum requirement for Full-Time Librarians, Senior Librarians, and Part-Time Librarians to hold a degree in library science. Despite appeals from staff, the administrators remain firm in their pursuit of these harmful changes.

Letting this happen in Burbank could set a dangerous precedent, leading to an erosion of standards in libraries across Los Angeles and the country. At a time when public libraries face legislative efforts to defund them and restrict intellectual freedom, it is crucial that we stand together in protecting library workers and upholding professional standards and training.

Sign the petition! Your signature indicates your solidarity and strong endorsement of the value and professional status of librarians.