Monday, January 29, 2007

King County (WA) PL Supervisors Join AFSCME 1857, Washington Council of County and City Employees (WCCCE)


The Seattle Times reports: Discontent among lower-level employees over King County library chief Bill Ptacek's management style and library restructuring has spread to mid- and lower-level supervisors, who have formed a union [Washington Council of County and City Employees (WCCCE)/AFSCME Local 1857] to bargain over working conditions.

WCCCE organizer Bill Keenan said supervisors voted 37-20 to join the union largely because they "didn't have a voice" in the restructuring.

The restructuring scheme last year put libraries in the hands of "cluster managers" who oversee several libraries and rotate staffers among the branches. The plan was touted as a way of making operations more efficient and flexible in King County's 43 libraries....
Ptacek said administrators have been listening to workers' complaints and are adjusting the restructuring plan. Under a three-year contract approved Friday by 550 WCCCE-represented librarians and assistants, workers who were previously assigned to a single library won't be required to work at other libraries in the cluster.


Local 1857 Officers

President Susan Veltfort
Vice President Don Isaacs
Secretary Andrew Wickens
Treasurer Carla McLean

Member at Large, LA/LTA Linda Badger
Member at Large, Librarian Anna Seaberg
Member at Large, Other Classifications Anne Hansberry

Trustee Monica Sands
Trustee Kaye Sims
Trustee Judy Kistler

1 comment:

~Z said...

A point of clarification: KCLS supervisors are joining WSCCCE, however, they are a separate bargaining unit (without a Local # yet) from 1857. Currently, the interim officers are: Randy Barthelman - President, Zina Stockinger - Vice President, and Rob Bowman, Secretary.