Unions and Collective Bargaining

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, one-fourth to one-third of U.S. library workers are unionized.

ALA Policy

B.9.11 Collective Bargaining (Old Number 54.11)

The American Library Association recognizes the principle of collective bargaining as one of the methods of conducting labor-management relations used by private and public institutions. The Association affirms the right of eligible library employees to organize and bargain collectively with their employers, or to refrain from organizing and bargaining collectively, without fear of reprisal.

Guidelines

Association of College & Research Libraries. Guideline on Collective Bargaining. June 2008.

Committees and Communities within ALA with an interest in unions and collective bargaining

LLAMA/HRS Union Relations for Managers Discussion Group

RUSA AFL-CIO-ALA, Library Service to Labor Groups

ALA-APA Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers

Union Library Workers (Connect community)

Resources

ALA-APA Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers. Advocating for Better Salaries Toolkit, 5th edition, April 2014 (PDF). Specifically, pp 40ff.

AFL-CIO, Department for Professional Employees. Library Workers: Facts & Figures, 2014

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economic News Release: Union Membership

Bibliography prepared for the AFL-CIO/ALA Joint Committee on Library Service to Labor Groups, 1992

Labor Day Reading List, The Hub, Sept. 3, 2012

Last updated November 21, 2014