tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232254972024-03-07T03:21:55.125-05:00Union LibrarianNews about Librarian Union Activity. News about Unions for Librarians Supporting Workers. Continued by Union Library Workers after 6.13.2011.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger722125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-21336993129826455942011-06-11T20:13:00.002-06:002011-06-12T05:37:43.257-06:00Bloomberg’s Budget to Decimate Queens Public LibraryBloomberg’s Budget to Decimate Queens Public Library<br />With John Hyslop, Pres., <a href="http://www.local1321.org/">Queens Library Guild, Local 1321</a> , DC 37 AFSCME.<br />Library workers are fighting Mayor Bloomberg's proposed $25.3 http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmillion in budget cuts to the Queens Public Library. Since 2008, over 200 jobs have already been lost through attrition and layoffs. The current proposed 30% cut will result in library<br />hours being at their lowest level ever, less than in NYC’s budget crisis of the 1970s. <br />These cuts would slash library services; close branches 2-3 days a week; end free computer and Internet services; destroy the materials budget; and force 234 Library employees to be laid off. Local 1321 is sponsoring a demonstration outside the Central Library on Merrick Blvd.<br /> -------------- <br />More info <a href="http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/52408">here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-43072675817824292722011-06-11T05:47:00.001-06:002011-06-11T07:08:14.147-06:00Youngstown Librarians Ratify ContractPublic Librarian Association of Youngstown, which is affiliated with Service Employees International Union District 1199.<br /><br />The board of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County has <a href="http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/jun/11/public-library-of-youngstown-new-pact-in/">ratified an agreement</a> with its librarians that includes a pay freeze and reductions in vacation and sick time.<br /><br />The pact is with the Public Librarian Association of Youngstown, which is affiliated with Service Employees International Union District 1199.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-35059751323338704292011-06-09T19:53:00.000-06:002011-06-09T19:56:31.174-06:00Dial 1-800-Unionism Is Not the Answer<a href="http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/early090611.html">Dial 1-800-Unionism Is Not the Answer</a><br />by Steve Early<br /><br />When the history of public sector de-unionization in the Midwest is written, its sad chroniclers will begin their story in Indiana. That's where Governor Mitch Daniels paved the way, six years ago, for more recent attacks on workers' rights in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan.<br /><br />Daniels, a right-wing Republican, was elected in 2004. He got plenty of help from the Republican Governors Association, which that year received $500,000 from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as part of then-president Andy Stern's misbegotten but Obama-like embrace of bi-partisanship. (In his 2006 book, A Country That Works, Stern boasted about being the RGA's "largest contributor.")Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-37647744552626986172011-05-21T06:33:00.003-06:002011-05-21T06:39:24.786-06:00Wichita Teachers Union: Plan to Replace High School Librarians will Shortchange Students.Wichita teachers union say a plan to replace high school librarians with unlicensed clerks will shortchange students.<br /><br />The library jobs are among 278 positions being eliminated as the Wichita district grapples with a $30 million budget shortfall. Allison said he consulted with building principals and others to determine cuts that would have the least impact on classrooms.<br /><br />"This particular cut affects all high school students — all of them, not just some," said Larry Smith, a history teacher at East High School and a member of the United Teachers of Wichita representative assembly.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/20/1856286/union-objects-to-cutting-librarians.html">Read more. </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-92227530899241189742011-05-08T15:33:00.002-06:002011-05-08T15:43:48.871-06:00Nepotism Questioned at Detroit Public LibraryNepotism rampant at Detroit libraries<br />1 in 6 staffers have relatives who work in strapped department<br /><br /><a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20110506/METRO01/105060383/1409/Nepotism-rampant-at-Detroit-libraries">The union is concerned in general about wasteful library spending.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-15602385291910730632011-04-13T08:36:00.002-05:002011-04-13T08:41:16.841-05:00Countering the Siege-AFSCME<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/04/13/business/mcentee/mcentee-articleInline.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 126px;" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/04/13/business/mcentee/mcentee-articleInline.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />NYTimes- Countering the Siege-AFSCME<br />Gerald W. McEntee, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, in his Washington office. <br />By STEVEN GREENHOUSE<br />Published: April 12, 2011 <br /><br /><br />Perhaps more than any other American, Gerald W. McEntee has surfed the rising tide of public sector unions to success and power. As leader of the largest union of state and local government workers for three decades, he has amassed enormous political influence and a huge campaign war chest that he has not hesitated to use to advance his union’s interests. <br /><br />Perhaps more than any other American, Gerald W. McEntee has surfed the rising tide of public sector unions to success and power. As leader of the largest union of state and local government workers for three decades, he has amassed enormous political influence and a huge campaign war chest that he has not hesitated to use to advance his union’s interests. <br /><br />read more <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/business/13mcentee.html">here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-58517160608751811892011-04-12T07:17:00.001-05:002011-04-12T07:37:47.685-05:00Right to Oorganize Trade Unions is a Fundamental Human Right."Collective Bargaining -- Essential to Democracy."<br />by Bruce T. Boccardy in <a href="http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/boccardy110411.html">MRZINE. April 11, 2011.<br /></a><br /><br />Collective bargaining was an integral component of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act. Prior to the law, employers could literally spy upon union members, interrogate, punish, blacklist, and terminate them without just cause. The Act clearly asserts the rights of collective bargaining in Section 7:<br /><br /> Employees shall have the right to self-organization; to form, join, or assist labor organizations; to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing; and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.<br /><br />This language was affirmed by Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which identified the right to organize trade unions again as a fundamental human right.<br /><br /> Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-86404335954791598812011-04-10T11:16:00.003-05:002011-04-10T11:21:21.950-05:00Ohio Law is Attack on the American Dream<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110410/javadi20110410141012890.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110410/javadi20110410141012890.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />April 10, 2011.<br /><a href="http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/174115.html">Opponents of new union law rally in Ohio's capital</a><br />Melissa Cropper, a librarian for Georgetown schools in southwestern Ohio, said killing the law "is about saving the middle class and protecting the rights of workers. Corporations are getting all the breaks, and they're trying to balance the budget on the backs of the workers.<br />Thousands of people seeking to repeal Ohio's new collective bargaining law rallied Saturday at the Statehouse, vowing to get a referendum on the next ballot and promising to remember the political fight over the measure when they choose which candidates to support in future elections. <br />Preachers and public workers took turns at the microphone on a stage in front of the Statehouse steps, depicting the bill signed recently by first-term Republican Gov. John Kasich as an attack on unions and the American dream.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-89240275243295635092011-04-04T15:48:00.003-05:002011-04-04T16:16:51.655-05:00CUPE BC and the AFL-CIO Support of Wisconsin Labour Unions.On Saturday, April 2, CUPE BC joined with other BC unions and the AFL-CIO to stage a rally in support of Wisconsin labour unions.<br />Read all about it <a href="http://www.cupe391.ca/blogs/president/soildiarity_with_the_wisconsin_14_april_2nd/">here. </a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cupe391.ca/photos/news/wisconsin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 259px;" src="http://www.cupe391.ca/photos/news/wisconsin.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-42344918955886435512011-04-04T07:34:00.001-05:002011-04-04T07:37:34.691-05:00Organizing in the Face of the Class WarNow’s the Time: Organizing in the Face of the Class War<br /><br /><br />Getting thousands to show up for rallies or write letters in the fever of the initial public sector skirmishes hasn’t been that hard. Over the last two months, people have been angry, and they wanted to take action. And while making the drive across the state to be part of a crowd of tens of thousands is a significant commitment of time and energy, it’s also exciting. As the videos showing witty signs and costumes remind us, protesting can be fun and even aerobic.<br /><br />But now is the time for on the ground organizing, and the work ahead will be less dramatic and in many ways much harder than showing up for a protest or writing a letter. Going door-to-door to get signatures can be thought of as hand-to-hand combat where individuals have to be informed and ready to perform in a sometimes hostile environment. But it’s also essential to the political process, especially given the amount of money corporations and conservative business interests will be spending on political advertising to defeat repeal/recall initiatives.<br /><br />Read more at <a href="http://workingclassstudies.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/now%E2%80%99s-the-time-organizing-in-the-face-of-the-class-war/">Working Class Perspectives.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-69575589021606494212011-03-31T08:15:00.002-05:002011-03-31T08:39:56.112-05:00Ohio: The Endgame ApproachesOhio.3/31/2011.<br /><br /><br />Bill that would strip collective bargaining rights from public employees <a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/31/ohio_senator_slams_labor_bill_as_it_advances">advances in Ohio’s legislature</a>...The bill passed, 53-44, in the House Wednesday evening. The later Senate concurred, by a 17-16 vote, with 25 amendments that had been added by the House. The legal reasoning used in the bill essentially cites the premise used in NLRB v. Yeshiva University, which applies only to private college professors, and brings it to those working at public universities. The 1980 Supreme Court decision barred faculty members at private colleges from bargaining collectively on the grounds that they enjoyed managerial status because of their role in shared governance.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-15882843202761632072011-03-29T10:39:00.001-05:002011-03-29T10:42:00.707-05:00The American Union and the American Public Library"Collective Effort:<br />The American Union and the American Public Library"<br />Joyce M. Latham and Wyatt E. Ditzler <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Library Trends</span> 59, no. 1/2 (Summer/Fall 2010): 237-55.<br /><br /><br />Abstract<br /><br />Unions are a significant element in the library work place, yet there is little discussion of their significance or impact. This article investigates the structures of the unions within the public library in the United States, highlighting the complexity of composition, variance of relationships to library administration, and the simplicity of mission of the union leadership. Results of a brief survey enabled researchers to engage four union officers on areas of significance to them. While concerns over salaries and funding continuity generate concern, discussion also engaged on the perceived value of the professional librarian within public libraries.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-45926380373444537872011-03-23T06:27:00.001-05:002011-03-23T06:33:02.401-05:00Organize or Die- Florida Universities-Includes Librarians“It’s a race against time,” said Tom Auxter, a professor of philosophy at the University of Florida and president of United Faculty of Florida, which represents faculty members [and librarians] at 22 public campuses and is affiliated with the Florida Education Association, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and the AFL-CIO. If passed, the three bills would go into effect July 1. <blockquote>“We’re firing up all the engines to get people signed up,” he said. “The lesson for unions is organize or die.”</blockquote><br /><br />More at <a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/23/three_bills_target_faculty_unions_in_florida">Inside Higher Education.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-16933658221602914612011-03-22T17:01:00.002-05:002011-03-22T17:08:42.440-05:00Russell Library, Middletown, Conn wins John Sessions Memorial AwardThe <a href="http://www.russelllibrary.org/about_us/about_us_main.html">Russell Library</a>, Middletown, Conn., is the recipient of the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) 2011 <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/awards/sessions/index.cfm">John Sessions Memorial Award</a> for their successful Business & Career Programs.<br /><br />Through their <a href="http://www.russelllibrary.org/news_events/business_progs.html">Business and Career Programs</a>, the Russell Library provides 10 to 12 workshops annually that aim to help individuals find jobs or change their careers. Programs include job searching, interview coaching, computer classes and stress reduction during job searching, among other topics. With this programming, the library has done significant outreach to union and community members by providing services of special interest to the labor community, as well as connecting with local organizations to publicize their services to job seekers.<br /><br />The award committee selected the library as this year’s recipient for these notable efforts that are vital in today’s economic climate and for the value the programs hold for the local labor community.<br /> Read <a href="http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=6713">more.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-77504010435911558592011-03-21T18:22:00.001-05:002011-03-21T18:33:35.090-05:00Ohio Collective Bargaining Discussion Led by Melissa Cropper, head of the Georgetown teacher's union and a librarianState Representative Danny Bubp visited two southern Ohio schools Monday to discuss the merits and concerns about pending state legislation commonly known as Senate Bill 5.<br /><br />Between 150 to 200 individuals, including several teachers in Brown and Clermont counties, engaged in a town hall-styled discussion with Bubp at Georgetown High School on Monday evening. Bubp, who held a similar meeting attended by an estimated 175 individuals in West Union earlier that day, heard numerous concerns from local residents about the legalisation that, if approved, could eliminate most existing collective bargaining rights for unionized public employees.<br /><br />Attendees raised several concerns about the bill, including questions about the "merit pay" provisions, concerns about losing the right to strike and dislike for the manner by which state officials have sought to pass the legislation<br /><br />Bubp was joined by two staffers who researched specific questions about the language and provisions contained within the bill. <a href="http://newsdemocrat.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=133111">Melissa Cropper</a>, head of the Georgetown teacher's union and a librarian at Georgetown Exempted Village Schools, helped to organize and moderate the discussion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-62274851295680227472011-03-15T21:02:00.001-05:002011-03-15T21:06:10.298-05:00John N. Berry III on Wisconsin"Solidarity in Wisconsin" by John N. Berry III at <span style="font-style:italic;">Library Journal.</span><br /><br /><blockquote>Librarians must stand in solidarity with the embattled public employees of Wisconsin as they struggle to hold on to the collective bargaining rights they have earned and won over decades. It is not just simple self-interest that makes their struggle ours, although that would be reason enough to oppose the attack. It is also a matter of our values, our fundamental beliefs. From the early roots of the profession, librarians have been champions of the rights granted to all Americans by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, including “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government....”</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/ljinprintcurrentissue/889044-403/solidarity_in_wisconsin__blatant.html.csp">read more.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-39144225324207737622011-03-15T05:42:00.000-05:002011-03-15T05:43:33.657-05:00ALISE Statement on Wisconsin PublicEmployeesThe Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) <a href="http://www.alise.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=99370&orgId=ali">commends</a> the action taken by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Library and Information Studies, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Faculty Senate, and others who have shown public support of those standing up for workers' rights. We applaud the support shown for our colleagues in Wisconsin as they seek to protect the right to collective bargaining.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-21217115488543974542011-03-14T20:50:00.002-05:002011-03-14T21:06:05.977-05:00Madison, WI-3.12. 2011: "Librarians! United! Will never be divided!"Sharon McQueen <a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889655-264/wisconsin_librarians_march_merges_with.html.csp">writes</a> in <span style="font-style:italic;">Library Journal</span> " Wisconsin Librarians' March Merges with Tractorcade" :<br />A third librarians' march took place on March 12 during what has been a month of daily protests at Wisconsin's State Capitol.<br />Participating:<br /><blockquote>Timothy Ericson, past president of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), flew to Wisconsin from Phoenix to participate in the rally for the Wisconsin 14 with his wife, Vallie, a former Wisconsin public school teacher. </blockquote><blockquote>American Library Association past president Michael Gorman drafted new lyrics for "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night," entitled "Scott Walker's Nightmare." </blockquote><br /><blockquote>Five past presidents of the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA): Alberto Herrera, Terry Danson, Jane Pearlmutter, Nancy McClements, and Paul Nelson.</blockquote><br /><blockquote>Christine Jenkins, UW-Madison alumna and associate professor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Graduate School of Library and Information Science</blockquote>; <blockquote>Melissa Moll, UW-Madison student, School of Library & Information Studies (SLIS)</blockquote>; <blockquote>Mark Beatty, librarian of the Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS)</blockquote>; <blockquote>Allison Kaplan, faculty associate, UW-Madison, SLIS</blockquote>; <blockquote>retired librarian Jean Casper</blockquote>; <blockquote>John Elliott, cataloger at Edgewood College in Madison</blockquote>; <blockquote>Sheila Leary, director of the University of Wisconsin Press.</blockquote> <br />Read <a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889655-264/wisconsin_librarians_march_merges_with.html.csp">more.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-67069542338410612752011-03-14T06:59:00.001-05:002011-03-14T07:01:39.667-05:00LSU Union OrganizingLouisiana State University, Baton Rouge.<br />The University's fledgling faculty union is rushing to gain members as outside political pressures add urgency to the group's formation.<br /><br />"Recruiting is our No. 1 priority right now," said Michael Russo, <a href="http://www.lsureveille.com/news/new-faculty-union-seeks-to-fill-ranks-1.2500703">associate librarian</a> and co-chair of the union's membership committee.<br /><br />Russo said the goal was to get every faculty member involved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-90848699386556096192011-03-08T21:20:00.002-05:002011-03-08T21:25:06.390-05:00Wisconsin Library Association Endorses Statement in Support of Worker’s Rights to Collectively BargainThe Wisconsin Library Association <a href="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/03082011/madison-s-mayor-joins-librarians-labor-rights-rally">Endorses</a> ALA’s Statement in Support of Worker’s Rights to Collectively Bargain and drafted its own.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-71434856522262591882011-03-08T07:08:00.005-05:002011-03-08T07:37:23.558-05:00"Librarians add incredible value to society--" Audrey Barbakoff-Milwaukee Public Library Union Member<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglT7LJCClYen5f8tbSKotyCtojOhlCnOvH4zItomy5y3zIPNb1OskCtPidXoH53dhAJlmyBk7TtQ_XFzwSzQDpsaARcJeuySD-0rZkON92RqTWknfQHGz97J_L-jxfZCg6IEkuMA/s1600/Madison+Rally+2011_0306_014+%2528Small%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglT7LJCClYen5f8tbSKotyCtojOhlCnOvH4zItomy5y3zIPNb1OskCtPidXoH53dhAJlmyBk7TtQ_XFzwSzQDpsaARcJeuySD-0rZkON92RqTWknfQHGz97J_L-jxfZCg6IEkuMA/s320/Madison+Rally+2011_0306_014+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581687161750619538" /></a><br />"I’m Not Your Scapegoat," by Audrey Barbakoff.<br /><a href="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/my-mind/i-m-not-your-scapegoat">American Libraries.</a><br />Mon, 03/07/2011 - 14:36<br /><br />A unionized librarian refuses to play the dues-paying villain.<br /><br />---What is not temporary is the effect of the governor’s favorite tactic in the service of this legislation: the vilification of public employees. It’s the old divide-and-conquer routine. By turning private employees against public ones, Walker can break up the largest constituency that might oppose his ideas. It’s a savvy political tactic, but it will cause permanent, irreparable damage for the most educated and hardworking public employees in Wisconsin and throughout the country---read <a href="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/my-mind/i-m-not-your-scapegoat">more.</a><br /><br />[photo by Sharon McQueen].Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-6323804501966408332011-03-07T22:28:00.002-05:002011-03-07T22:32:36.879-05:00Wisconsin Librarians on the MarchLIBRARIANS ON THE MARCH! PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! <br /> <br /> <br />Greetings Fellow Librarians, Library Staff, & Library Students! <br /> <br />Over 2 dozen of us marched on Saturday, Feb 26, 2011. 60-plus marched last Sunday (March 6, 2011). This Saturday we will increase our numbers and march again! Let's join the Farmer Labor Tractorcade! <br /> <br />WHAT: Librarian Protest March <br />WHEN: This Saturday, March 12, 2011. 11:30am <br />WHERE: Madison Public Library, Central Library steps. 201 W. Mifflin St. Madison, WI <br /> <br />We will gather at 11:30am on the MPL steps and march to the Wisconsin State Capitol where we will march around the square. Keep those clever library signs coming! <br /> <br />Madison's Mayor Dave Cieslewicz joined us this past weekend in support of libraries and library workers. All those who marched with us were treated to a free box lunch by LMN O'Pies: <br /> <br />http://www.lmnopies.com/ <br /> <br />Take a look at the new <a href="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/my-mind/i-m-not-your-scapegoat ">American Libraries article by Milwaukee Public Library's Audrey Barbakoff: </a><br />http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/my-mind/i-m-not-your-scapegoat <br /> <br />This is history in the making folks! JOIN US! <br /> <br /> <br />FYI: <br />Farmer Labor Tractorcade <br />Event Date: Saturday, March 12, 2011 - 12:00pm - 2:00pm <br /> <br />Event Website on FaceBook. <br />Taking place at: Wisconsin State Capitol <br />Madison, WI <br /> <br />Sponsored by Family Farm Defenders, Wisconsin Farmers Union and Land Stewardship <br />project. <br /> <br />Farmers from across the dairyland will bring tractors and solidarity to the WI capitol to fight for labor rights and a just state budget. Rural communities will be disproportionately hurt by the cuts to education and BadgerCare, and farmers in Wisconsin stand with state workers, and all working and middle class <br />families in the state. <br /> <br />All farmers and eaters welcome and encouraged to come!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-19649576015474237012011-03-04T07:35:00.004-05:002011-03-04T08:25:25.755-05:00Holt Labor Library Re-Opens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/images/sm%20Grapes.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 144px; height: 144px;" src="http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/images/sm%20Grapes.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/images/LogoMed.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 169px; height: 168px;" src="http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/images/LogoMed.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Message from David Walters, director of the <a href="http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/">Holt Labor Library</a>.<br /><br />The Holt Labor Library has re-opened. Closed for a period of almost 2 years due to the capitalist financial crisis, funding for the library re-opening has been secured. <br /> <br />4444 Geary Blvd., Suite 207, San Francisco, CA 94118 <br />415.387.5700 <br />Hours are from 9AM through 4PM, Monday through Friday. Special arrangements outside of these times can be arranged upon request with the Director. Closed on major holidays and May Day. <br /> <br />The Holt Labor Library was established in 1992 to provide a working library for labor and progressive studies accessible to the general public. Our collections and services are geared to labor and community activists as well as to students, researchers and anyone else interested in our materials. Because a significant part of our collection consists of out-of-print and hard to find materials, items do not circulate. The holdings of the Holt Labor Library include: <br /> <br />* Many donations from the estates of ex-members of the SWP <br />* 4500 books - labor and socialist history, freedom struggles, Marxist theory (with emphasis on Trotskyism), and much more <br />* 3000 pamphlets, plus flyers and brochures, in our vertical files <br />* 80 current subscriptions to labor and left periodicals <br />* 350 videos & DVDs - including movies and documentaries <br />* 300 audio tapes & CDs of speeches and classes by socialist and labor activists <br />* Bulletins and papers documenting socialist history in the United <br />States<br />* Posters, political and trade-union buttons, and other ephemera <br />* Personal archives from the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, Anti-Vietnam War organizations, Teamsters for a Democratic Union, Committee to Aid the Monroe Defendants, and others. <br />* Historic socialist and labor newspapers <br /><br /> <br />David Walters <br />david [ at]hll.org <br />Director, <br />Holt Labor Library <br />4444 Geary Blvd., Suite 207, San Francisco, CA 94118 415.387.5700 <br />holtlaborlibrary.org <br />hll.org <br />holtlibrary.orgUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-68077902594999673232011-03-02T20:24:00.002-05:002011-03-02T20:27:55.526-05:00“Librarians fight for everyone’s rights”<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/inside_article/photos/wisconsinlibrarians.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 218px;" src="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/inside_article/photos/wisconsinlibrarians.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">American Libraries</span> <a href="http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/capitol-weekend-wisconsin">report </a>on <br />librarians turning out in Madison to support workers' rights.<br /><br />front row, from left) Carrie Gostomski, Kim Pittman, Alison Gehred, Ellen Barksdale Jacks, and Richard Douglas Wambold.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23225497.post-66869829562848264542011-03-02T06:18:00.003-05:002011-03-02T06:34:06.351-05:00“We’re the cornerstone of democracy. "-- LA Librarians’ Guild President, Roy Stone. "Yes on LLos Angeles votes on library funding next week.<br /><br /><br />Los Angeles city voters <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/03/01/la-city-votes-library-funding/">decide next week</a> on Tuesday, March 8 whether to set aside more money for public libraries in the city’s charter. Last year, the mayor and City Council slashed spending on the library system to address a big budget deficit. That forced all 76 locations to close two days a week for the first time.<br /><blockquote> Librarians’ Guild President Roy Stone argues that people shouldn’t regard libraries as just another city department. “We’re the cornerstone of democracy. Without the free public library system, you don’t have that open exchange of information. </blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.librariansguild.org/">Librarians' Guild AFSCME Local 2626</a><br /><a href="http://yesonlibraries.com/">Yes on L.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0