ALA-APA Salaries and Status of Library Workers Committee to Host Two Webinars

The ALA Allied Professional Association’s (ALA-APA) Salaries and Status of Library Workers (SSLW) committee invites you to join them for the following two sessions.

Empowering Library Workers: Navigating Unionization in Challenging Environments will be held May 1st, 1:30 – 3:00pm (Central). Register now.

Library workers across the country are facing numerous external challenges involving funding and governance, the alarming rate of book challenges and successful bans, threats of violence, and other crucial issues. Internally, library workers are battling low wages, long hours, and low morale. How do workers look after their own needs while providing vital services to their communities? Join us for a panel discussion to hear encouraging stories and actionable strategies to leverage collective worker power in the workplace. Panelists will have a lively conversation and respond to questions from the audience.

Panelists:

• Sabina Ali, Associate Instructor, Indiana University, Department of Religious Studies, Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition, (IGWC)
• Megan Durham, Youth Services Librarian, Daniel Boone Regional Library Workers United
• Moriah Olsen, Labor Relations Specialist, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)

Moderators:

• Rosemary Farrell, Instructor & Reference Librarian, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy
• Ly Nguyen, Adult Services & Outreach Librarian, Forest Park Public Library, IL

What Comes after Unionization: Effective Engagement with Library Workers will be held May 8th, 12:00pm-1:00pm (Central). Register now.

Join experienced library leaders for a discussion on how to successfully engage with a unionized workforce. This event has been designed for libraries that have unionized within the past 5 years. You should also consider joining in this discussion if your library seems to be heading towards unionized soon.

Panelists:

• Ed Garcia, Library Director, Cranston Public Library (Rhode Island)
• Elissa C. Cadillac, President, AFSCME, Local1526, Boston Public Library
• Maura A. Smale, PhD, MLIS, Chief Librarian, Mina Rees Library, The Graduate Center, CUNY

The ALA Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) is a companion organization to the American Library Association (ALA). The ALA-APA is a nonprofit professional organization established “to promote the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.”

The ALA-APA Salaries and Status of Library Workers (Standing Committee) works to advise the ALA-APA Council and Board of Directors on activities, issues and programs related to improving salaries, comparable worth, pay equity and increase status for librarians and other library workers.