Librarian Rally Slams Sunday Plan

Thomas Breen photo

City librarians Samantha Bailey, Diane Brown, and Jennifer Gargiulo: Libraries are "stretched," can't take on Sunday hours at this time.

Over a dozen city librarians rallied at City Hall to send a message to the mayor that they need better pay — and that Sunday hours just won’t do, especially given the city’s current staffing crunch.

Llibrary workers expressed those concerns again and again and again Monday during interviews with the Independent at a rally held outside of Mayor Justin Elicker’s office on the second floor of City Hall. 

Those public library staffers joined fellow members of the city’s managers union, Local 3144, as well as members of the city clerical workers union, Local 844, for a two dozen-strong public employee demonstration in support of fair contract” negotiations. Both municipal unions’ latest respective five-year labor contracts expired in June 2020.

All of the rallying city workers — many of whom wore green American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) shirts and came from such municipal departments as finance, building, and the 911 call center — spoke up about low pay, potential cuts to their pension and healthcare benefits, and much higher salaries in other cities and towns.

The New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) workers in attendance on Monday were motivated by still another labor grievance more specific to their ever-growing workload and ever-diminishing staff.

That is, Mayor Justin Elicker’s budget promise this fiscal year that New Haven will open on Sundays at all five library buildings — including the main library on Elm Street and the four neighborhood branches in Fair Haven, the Hill, Westville, and Dixwell. More than four months after the July 1 start to the fiscal year, all five library buildings remain closed on Sundays.

Wilson branch staffer Jeffrey Panettiere (right): "What does the community actually want?"

According to the library workers the Independent spoke with Monday, they cannot at this time see any path forward for opening on Sundays. 

That’s because of how little they’re currently paid. 

That’s because of how much they currently work. 

That’s because of how many of their colleagues are jumping ship every week for better-paying jobs in other towns and cities. 

That’s because of how little capacity they have for giving up another weekend day that could be spent on a second job or with family in order to come in to work. 

Tristan Evarts and Megan Curry: "We don't have the infrastructure" to support Sunday hours.

Current city library hours.

There’s absolutely no way in which it’s feasible,” Fair Haven librarian Tristan Evarts said about opening city libraries on Sundays. We have a massive turnover” with library staffers as it is, and we can’t find enough people” to do the jobs that have to be done now.

It’s a dream,” Wilson branch library manager Megan Curry said about Sunday hours. I’d love to see that be possible. But we don’t have the infrastructure to support it,” primarily because we’re losing staff” all the time. 

Lori Lichtenberg, a local 884 leader who works at the downtown library hub, described Sunday hours as a great idea.” But, before that can happen, she said, we need to have Monday to Saturday supported.”

We cannot perform our services now” because they don’t have enough people, Lichtenberg said. Why add more hours if the libraries today can barely make ends meet?

Wilson branch librarian Jeffrey Panettiere agreed. He pointed out that the Hill branch library is currently closed on Fridays. Patrons regularly come to that library on Fridays expecting it to be open — but almost no one comes on Sundays asking for the branch to be open then.

What does the community actually want?” Panettiere asked. Why push Sunday hours if there may not be community demand for that? (Click here for an article from this year’s budget-making season in March by the Arts Paper’s Lucy Gellman about library patrons and advocates in support of Sunday hours.)

Thomas Breen file photo

Librarians Soma Mitra and Phillip Modeen.

Up on the second floor of City Hall, as the presidents and attorneys for Locals 3144 and 884 met behind closed doors with the mayor in his office, still more city librarians repeated those same concerns about not having capacity for new hours on Sundays.

We need a reasonable, ethical contract,” said Emmett McMullan, who works in IT at the main library hub on Elm Street. We just don’t have enough people” for Sundays. 

We’re stretched as it is,” Stetson branch librarian Phillip Modeen said. We want a fair contract.” And we want to be paid what we’re worth.” Many library jobs require credentials and higher-ed degrees, he pointed out. And yet, New Haven librarians make significantly less than some entry-level jobs in fellow Connecticut cities like Bridgeport.

We’re short-staffed,” Modeen said. 

We’re just scrambling” to cover services now, added fellow downtown librarian Soma Mitra.

Finance department staffers Corrine Smith and Tom White ...

... and building department workers Karl Auer, Seth Flynn, and Mehir Hussein join in on Monday's rally.

Main library reference librarian Samantha Bailey and Ives Square manager Jennifer Gargiulo said the current hours, workloads, and pay for city librarians are all unsustainable.”

The libraries are very understaffed,” Bailey said. 

Gargiulo described the mayor’s blank promise” of Sunday hours as only contributing to the burnout and frustration felt by those currently working at New Haven’s libraries. And she said that her same job that has a salary of $52,000 in New Haven would have a salary of $86,000 in Bridgeport.

Allison Botelho.

We make less than other similarly sized libraries in Connecticut,” said the main library’s Allison Botelho. And now the city wants librarians to work Sundays? It feels like we’re already stretched. We have trouble staffing right now.”

She said she’s rather see the city invest in fixing up spotty rugs and leaky waste baskets and come up with a plan for the consistent issue of people shooting up” right outside of the Wilson library than push for Sunday hours at this time. We have a lot of positions that have gone unfilled,” she said. It doesn’t feel like” this should be a top priority at this time.

Thomas Breen Photo

Local 3144 President Gilda Herrera.

The reality is: We do not have enough staff” for Sunday library hours at this time, Local 3144 President Gilda Herrera told the Independent in a phone interview before Monday’s meetup with the mayor. 

Bigger picture, she said, we have a lot of massive exiting throughout the city. We have a lot of job openings. People are leaving” in large part because they don’t feel appreciated,” and their salaries are too low.

Elicker: "Happy To Continue The Conversation" Around Sunday Hours

Mayor Elicker (right).

During a Monday afternoon phone call with the Independent after his meeting with the presidents and attorneys for Local 3144 and Local 884, Elicker said he was surprised to hear so much pushback on Sunday hours in particular.

The initial Sunday hours was a recommendation from John Jessen,” the late city librarian who passed away from cancer in May. He made an assessment that Sundays would be the days of the largest demand” to open all five libraries for, the mayor said. He said he’s happy to continue the conversation” with library staffers and union leaders about his Sunday hours plan.

And what about Local 3144’s and Local 884’s larger concerns about salaries, healthcare, pensions, their expired contracts, and ongoing negotiations?

Employees in the city are facing a lot of challenges like pretty much everywhere in the nation with a labor shortage,” Elicker said. That puts pressure on them to do a job and deliver public services with fewer resources.” He expressed gratitude for for all of the work that municipal employees put in day in, day out on behalf of the city and its residents.

We’re in contract negotiations with seven different bargaining units right now,” the mayor added. The negotiations don’t go as fast as I think any of us would like, but they are ongoing and active and we’re having a good back and forth.”

He said the city would like to land in a place where employees feel like we’re paying a good salary, good benefits,” and they have the ability to retire with dignity. And that we’re competitive. We also need to take into account the long-term fiscal health of the city.”

Why has it taken more than two years to reach new contracts with 884 and 3144?

Covid played a role. Our transition to a new labor director played some role,” Elicker said. All parties rolling up their sleeves and getting down to work also played a role.” He repeated that the city has been actively negotiating.” Ultimately, he said, the goal is to come to a deal that everyone feels ownership over.”

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