Here's what newly formed union proposed to Daniel Boone Regional Library board

Roger McKinney, Columbia Daily Tribune
·3 min read
Visitors enter the Columbia Public Library in May at 100 W. Broadway.
Visitors enter the Columbia Public Library in May at 100 W. Broadway.

The first session of contract negotiations between the Daniel Boone Regional Library union and the library board is complete, but officials from both sides say the hard work lies ahead.

Introductions, agreeing to ground rules and a presentation of union proposals highlighted Monday's first round of contract negotiations between negotiating teams for Daniel Boone Regional Library Workers United and the library board, their leaders said.

The session was polite and professional, said Margaret Conroy, DBRL director, and Wendy Rigby, union president.

"It was all very businesslike," Rigby said. "I hope it can continue in that vein."

The library is the only unionized library in the state. There were 65% of library workers voting in favor of forming a union during a May electronic election. Conroy had prepared the library board for the likely result at a meeting in advance of the vote. The union is part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal workers.

Unionization efforts began in February.

The union presented and explained 25 proposals and the rationale for each, Rigby said.

Among the proposals:

  • Twelve weeks of paid family leave;

  • Including family members of domestic partners in the bereavement policy;

  • Shift differentials — extra pay — for working on a closed holiday, weekends, evenings and other situations;

  • Redoing the grievance process to allow for union representation and an appeals process;

  • Union representation on all library committees.

On wages, the union proposes annual cost-of-living adjustments of 5% or the current inflation rate, whichever is greater, to take effect Jan. 1. It proposes placing employees on a wage scale allowing their wages to increase in correlation with their years of service.

On benefits, the union proposes the library cover 100% of monthly health insurance premiums for all workers.

The library board's team listened as the union team read through the proposals, Conroy wrote in an email.

"The library's attorney was also present and we did have a couple of minor clarifying questions," Conroy wrote.

The board's team will respond to the proposals at next Friday's session, she wrote.

"At the end of the meeting we discussed next steps for the meeting on Oct. 14 when actual bargaining will begin," Conroy wrote. "It is in the hands of library management to begin responding to the proposal in whole or in part. Since there are 25 items for consideration, we are working on which will be discussed first. We will save the items with the largest budget impact for the end of the bargaining."

There are some areas of potentially easy consensus, including that family of domestic partners be included in the bereavement policy, Rigby said. It would require only minor wording changes.

"Then we get to the tough part, which are wages and leave and health insurance," Rigby said.

Future sessions are scheduled for Nov. 2, 7 and 9.

Daniel Boone Regional Library comprises the Columbia Public Library, Callaway County Public Library, Holts Summit Public Library and Southern Boone Public Library.

Roger McKinney is the education reporter for the Tribune. You can reach him at rmckinney9@hotmail.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's what the library union proposed in first contract session