http://www.laborradio.org/node/10945Lede: For hundreds of workers in Indianapolis it took the patience of librarians to win a several years long struggle for a union. Doug Cunningham reports.
By Doug Cunningham
When library workers at Indiana’s Indianapolis Marion County Library decided they wanted to form a union they couldn’t just sign up to join one. It took them four years, but they won. They just signed their first collective bargaining agreement. With the help of AFSCME – the American federation of State, County and Municipal Employees – they first had to get the library board to pass a resolution allowing it. Indiana law doesn’t give public employees collective bargaining rights. AFSCME Council 62 Executive Director David Warrick says getting that board approval and organizing the workers took amazing perseverance by the 225 library workers.
: “The employees are very happy to have a voice now and a contract, And they’re very excited about moving forward now with a document that allows them to have union representation and allows them to be able to sit at the table as equals. Without them doing this and sticking to the process they would have ended up with nothing. They would have ended up with no raises and cutbacks in their insurance.”
Warrick says in addition to concerns about wages and health insurance, the issue of respect and a voice on the job are what mattered most to these library workers.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
