Cumberland library workers vote unanimously to unionize | CBC News
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Employees at Cumberland Public Libraries have voted 100 per cent in favour of unionizing.
Aldon Brewer, an employee, said there had been informal discussions about unionizing for months. In the wake of some staff members being told in February that their hours would be cut, staff decided to move ahead.
“Losing money is never a good time,” said Brewer, a shipper who drives between the seven different branches to deliver books.
Following last week’s vote, staff are electing a president for the new Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees, Local 24, which will represent 21 Cumberland Public Libraries workers. From there, employees will seek a contract.
“We’re not asking for the moon here at this point,” said Brewer. “I’d really like just for us to get a status quo [collective bargaining agreement] where what we have is what we get to keep.”
Denise Corey, the library director of Cumberland Public Libraries, said provincial funding is not keeping up with inflation, putting the library under pressure to make cuts.
“I understand staff need job security,” she said. “Job security is important and it’s not something that I can guarantee for them right now.”
This union already represents Halifax and Annapolis Valley libraries.
Corey said she hopes to work with the union, adding that together they could approach the province and “have them recognize that this position is too precarious for public libraries to continue.”
Cumberland Public Libraries isn’t alone in its financial struggles. The last time public libraries had a budget increase was in 2020.
This has forced some libraries to cut hours and programs, halt hiring, and stop adding materials to collections.
In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the provincial Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said it would not be appropriate to comment on the unionization.
Libraries did receive $1.6 million in emergency funding from the province, split between two fiscal years.
Adam Davies, another library worker whose hours were cut, said the union will also help workers advocate more efficiently with their own library board, which makes decisions about the library’s priorities, reviews provincial funding, and sets policies.
“There just seemed to be a profound disconnect,” he said.
CBC News asked the board for comment but didn’t receive a reply.
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