Cuyahoga County Public Library Employees Union Votes for Strike as Wages Remain a Contentious Issue

Cuyahoga County Public Library employees have voted to strike next month if the union and the library cannot reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The issue is wage and salary increases, according to the Service Employees International Union 1199, which represents around 475 library employees.

“We don’t want to strike, but the library has left us no choice. What we have proposed will not come close to making up for what many of us have given up over the years. We want to serve the members of our community,” said Heather Timko, union member and library director.

The union wants wage increases that reflect inflation and the system’s revenue growth, said SEIU representative Michael Wood.

Government audits show that CCPL’s revenues rose from about $66 million to about $94 million from 2007 to 2022 – a 45% increase. Employee salaries have not increased by the same amount, according to Wood.

The library system has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Previously, a library spokesperson said the library offers its employees “competitive wages, regular raises and solid benefits.” In 2022 and 2023, the system voluntarily gave employees a 2% pay increase in addition to the 3% increase that was part of the previous contract due to high inflation, the spokesperson said.

The union also said it wanted a system that would make it easier for employees to receive pay increases beyond annual cost-of-living increases, including those based on seniority and experience.

“CCPL can afford everything we have proposed. The wage increases proposed by the union are consistent with those agreed to over the past two years at other libraries in Northeast Ohio represented by SEIU 1199,” Wood said.

Wood said both sides have agreed on most of the terms of a new contract, but the issue of salaries and raises for staff remains. The only other unresolved issue is a contract clause that dictates how the library system is staffed on Sundays.

Wood said the library is currently staffed on Sundays through a system where employees offer or request their work. Many employees receive increased pay on Sundays. Wood said the CCPL wants to change the terms to be able to mandate or enforce Sunday staffing.

In June, the library system expressed confidence that the parties could reach a consensus.

“We are confident we will reach an outcome that maintains fair wages for library staff while responsibly stewarding our public funds,” a spokesperson wrote in the statement. “CCPL’s current wage proposal represents the largest increase ever in a contract, but the union is asking for double what we offered.”

The employees worked under the terms of the previous contract, which expired on March 31. Since then, both sides have been negotiating a new three-year contract.