A strong majority of staff at Columbus Metropolitan Library voted to form their union, CML United, according to election results released by Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board. The results showed that 86% of valid ballots voted in favor of the union. The new union includes approximately 600 librarians, customer services specialists, youth engagement specialists, materials services associates, drivers, sorters, and other library workers.
“We stood together, across different branches and different job titles, because we know that CML is a stronger library system for our communities when workers have a voice,” said Nancy Gillespie, an Information Services Specialist at CML’s Whitehall Branch. “We not only know what changes are needed to improve conditions for CML workers, we also know what our patrons need and expect from their libraries because we’re the ones who have direct, daily communication with them.”
Workers at CML — Ohio’s third most visited library system according to the American Library Association — began organizing their union with the Ohio Federation of Teachers in 2024. Key issues that motivated workers to organize included safety, working conditions, and the library’s reliance on poorly compensated part-time employees.
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