American
Library Association-Allied Professional Association: the Organization
for the Advancement of Library Employees (ALA-APA) advocates for and
supports library employees in seeking equitable compensation, but
negotiating wages and other compensation must be done at the
institutional level.
ALA-APA cannot do collective
bargaining, so its power to improve wages and benefits is limited. By
being part of a union, library workers gain local allies who can help
to achieve pay equity and better salaries. This is especially important
in public libraries where the union brings greater power to win budget
increases from local governments. Unions are one of many ways library
workers may improve salaries.
Libraries with Union
There are many organized library systems in the U.S. and Canada. To see a running list of libraries with collective bargaining, click here.
