Library Workers on Precarious Work

Summary of Comments on The Impact of Precarious WorkPage: 1

Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:36:56 AM Begin with a video that was filmed during the TPL strike in 2012

A P R E S E N T A T I O N B Y M A U R E E N O ’ R E I L L Y

P R E S I D E N T T O R O N T O P U B L I C L I B R A R Y W O R K E R S U N I O N

( T P L W U ) L O C A L 4 9 4 8 ( C U P E )

Presentation to the Ontario Library Association, Thursday January 29, 2015, Toronto, ON

The Impact of Precarious Work in Canada’s Libraries

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The Impact of Precarious Work in Canada’s Libraries

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:37:05 AM The thing that has always struck me about my workplace is the number of workers who are part-time, in temporary, contract or casual assignments, who have no access to benefits or pensions, and who, generally are just struggling. Precarity, or that unfairness, seemed to be growing. Librarianship was supposed to be a career but it is becoming more and more, just another job. I think this picture is one of the most powerful images of our strike in Toronto. Why is this issue important? Why is this issue important to you as a library worker, administrator, trustee, union representative, or member of your community? The answer is three fold: Good jobs for library workers and their families are important Precarity has an impact upon the library service Precarity has an impact upon the profession Interchangeable terms: Precarious work Part-time work Understaffing Casual work Temporary work Contract work Other qualifier that I would like to make, part-time work has a role to play in our female dominated workplaces and I am not advocating for its elimination nor am I suggesting that because your are a part-time worker that you do less of a valuable job in our libraries.

Melvil’s Girls: Still Struggling to Survive Feliciter Issue #2 (April), 2013

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:00 AM Last year I wrote an article for Feliciter and I want to draw your attention to one aspect of that article again. Melvil Dewey is often credited with changing librarianship from a vocation to a profession. And I quote: From its inception as a profession, librarianship acquired an almost missionary quality. Because women were grateful for these new opportunities, they gladly entered into the workplace for less money. Dewey for his part felt that the genteel nature of library work would compensate for the lower pay that male librarians received. Although he did not say it, Dewey was he believed setting an example for the rest of librarianship; he was recruiting a workforce with high character for low cost. The proliferation of precarious work in our workplaces is just the latest incarnation of Dewey’s legacy. But is this just my perception or is there something to this?

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Child Care

Social Services/ Community

Hospital

Long-Term Care

K-12

Municipal

Post-Secondary

Public Library

% part time

Employment status of CUPE members in low-paid occupations: Part Time vs Full Time

20.4% of all employed workers part-time

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:24 AM CUPE has just begun a research project on precarious work. This is but one slide. Observations from the researchers: In most sectors, CUPE low-paid jobs are more likely to be temporary and part-time than Canadian jobs taken as a whole, which we would expect since temporary and part-time jobs are associated with low pay. The pattern by sectors is, however, illuminating. This table shows that the share of CUPE low-paid jobs done part-time is above the Canada all-jobs average in all but one sector, municipal. Of the sectors with high part-time rates, libraries stand out; 44% of CUPE members in low-paid jobs in the public library sector work part-time. Long-term Care is next in terms of high part-time rates, followed by Social Services/Community Health and Child Care. Other observations: Racialized workers are over-represented in low wage jobs. Same with females workers Most of these workers only have temporary status All of these additional characteristics are represented in the library sector. Wow. One of the main messages I want you to take from this presentation is that library workers are precarious workers and we work in precarious workplaces and we need to change this.

Canadian Urban Libraries Council Part-time Staff

0 5000 10000 15000

2012

2011

2010

2008

TotalPT TotalPT OtherPT Lib

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:34 AM So being the good librarian, I turn to library statistics as well. First I looked at the Canadian Urban Libraries Council data. I tried to put together a 5 year snapshot to figure out some trends. 2009 missing. So what I find out is that there are a lot of part-timers, part-timers are marginally growing, and that overall staffing is declining which is masking the problem. In other words: 2008 56% pt 2010 54% pt 2011 54% pt 2012 52% pt When we drill down even further, I find something more alarming. Almost all the part-timers are the non-librarian staff. Overwhelmingly so. But I find the statistic quality for staffing poorly tracked in libraries. Libraries track everything but we don’t track the staffing issues as well. Statistics for part-time work just started showing up in last few years. We have to do a better job.

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

2012201120102208

Canadian Urban Libraries Council Full-time and Part-time Staff

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:43 AM So being the good librarian, I turn to library statistics as well. First I looked at the Canadian Urban Libraries Council data. I tried to put together a 5 year snapshot to figure out some trends. 2009 missing. So what I find out is that there are a lot of part-timers, part-timers are marginally growing, and that overall staffing is declining which is masking the problem. In other words: 2008 56% pt 2010 54% pt 2011 54% pt 2012 52% pt When we drill down even further, I find something more alarming. Almost all the part-timers are the non-librarian staff. Overwhelmingly so. But I find the statistic quality for staffing poorly tracked in libraries. Libraries track everything but we don’t track the staffing issues as well. Statistics for part-time work just started showing up in last few years. We have to do a better job.

The Ontario Statistics

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:51 AM I then turn to the Ministry statistics in Ontario. What I find is even worse. No break down whatsoever for full time and part time workers. So the statistics don’t help me. I know for our own dues check off that the number of part-timers has been growing. I know anecdotally when I attend CUPE library events that I am blown away at the number of precarious workers out there.

Who are the library workers?

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:38:59 AM So what is happening with the 4948 membership?

Demographics From internal TPL Diversity Initiative Workforce Survey (not published) 2010-11

75% women Approximately 51% part-time Only 22% of our part-timers could

afford to purchase benefits 43% of Pages with 4 or more years of

service are over the age of 25 with the majority over 45 years old

Most of our part-timers do not qualify for the pension plan

50% of bargaining unit are visible minorities (8% of management comprise visible minorities)

86% of us live in Toronto

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:05 AM Who are the library workers? See note.

Rise of Precarious Work Selected information drawn from 2009 bargaining survey

5 – 7 years to get a full-time job Split shifts Increased work loads RSI and other workplace injuries on

the rise Few ties to base communities due to

short-staffing and lack of permanent employment opportunities

Many PT staff work 2-3 jobs to survive

51% of TPLWU membership PT Threatens ability to meet family

responsibilities

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:12 AM So we not only have a great number of part-time workers in our workplaces but we have at the same time a deterioration of working conditions for library workers with the greatest impact on our part-time workers. Collective bargaining survey. 5-7 years. We believe it is more now.

Our Issues Some recent issues of concern for our membership

Elimination of circulation positions with introduction of self serve technology

Work downloaded to pages at minimum wage costs

Library technicians no longer recognized Elimination of front-line librarian positions De-skilling and de-professionalization Increase in part-time and precarious work

(many of our members juggle 2-3 pt jobs) No full-time jobs No opportunities for youth Takes about 7 -10 years to get a full-time

job for someone who seeks full-time work Increase in split shifts and part-time jobs

stretched over 6 day schedules Outsourcing of our work particularly in

areas of collection building Violence in the workplace

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:21 AM Recent issues. Grappling for some of these issues for years with no resolution. Circumstances only getting worst in many cases.

Loss of highly-skilled staff with few career paths

Elimination of full-time positions and increase of PT precarious work

Over expansion of self-serve technologies eliminates the front-line service culture identified by the public as integral

Increasing reliance on electronic formats at expense of specialized collections and expert staff

Outsourcing our work to vendors unable to match library standards

Failure to recognize importance of neighbourhood libraries

Gutting of mid-level income positions resulting in transitory workforce

Short staffing with increasing service demands

Retailing of libraries at the expense of quality library service

Loss of meaningful interaction with our patrons diminishes job satisfaction & breaks connections with our diverse communities

Top 10 Issues Facing Library Workers

Less Staff = Reduced Ability to Provide Quality Service

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:26 AM Again, does it matter? This list was compiled by the Library Workers Committee in Ontario. The equation at the top is the most important.

Youth: The Biggest Victims of Precarious Work

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:48 AM Youth particular victims. No future. They don’t have the same opportunities as I did. In TPL virtually no hiring from the outside as the workforce has shrunk dramatically over the past two decades. (25% decrease in staff since 1992).

This is how the Main Street Children’s Department was staffed the day of the murder

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:39:56 AM This is another unfortunate trend that is growing due to the growth of precarious work. Unfortunate incident at TPL a few years ago. Main Street older multi-floor building. Children’s Department upstairs. No staff. Murder occurs on first floor. BH finds a way to get upstairs to check if children, public or staff are present. Lucky as this unfortunate incident happened to be amongst family members. Suppose if it wasn’t? “Violent incidents have increased and staff and public feel less secure in the branches with less staff to monitor and address problems”

“I feel like with the under-staffing an issue across the entire system, TPL is rapidly losing the ability to deliver quality services to the public and we are losing focus on the real purpose of a public library”

What our members are saying

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:02 AM Quote from a survey on understaffing that the union undertook last year. Gets to the heart of the problem. Service culture is being eroded. That is what precarious work does. Workers understand it.

An important quote to ponder

Herbert S. White, “Respect for Librarians & Librarian Self-Respect,” Library Journal 111, no. 2 (1986), 58.

Is it possible to have good libraries without good librarians?

Is it possible to have good libraries with fewer librarians?

Is it possible to have good libraries with precarious librarians?

Is it possible to have good libraries with no librarians?

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:10 AM Last year, I left you with this quote. I have altered it from Herbert S. White and I want all of you to think about this again.

Melvil’s Girls: Still Struggling to Survive

“Even during the darkest days of the Ford regime, there was no hue and cry from the city government to create even more precarious and part-time work as a cost saving measure. Yet the library budget already reflects this reality.” Maureen O’Reilly, President, TPLWU Local 4948 Feliciter, Issue #2, 2013, Vol. 59, p. 36

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:16 AM Again, I turn to the Feliciter article from last spring.

Most Torontonians believe that a further cut in library worker jobs would negatively impact services

Q.16 Over the last 14 years since Toronto was amalgamated, the number of library workers in Toronto has been reduced by 17 percent. Mayor Ford wants further cuts in the number of library workers. If there was a further 10 percent cut in the number of library workers, what impact would it have on the quality of the services and programs offered at Toronto Public Libraries? Would it have a very negative impact, a somewhat negative impact or no impact at all?

Impact of further 10% cut in number of library workers on quality of TPL services and programs

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Torontonians were told that, since amalgamation, the number of library workers has been reduced by 17 percent, and then asked what they think the impact would be on service and program quality if a further 10 percent of positions were cut, as Mayor Ford wants. Close to eight in ten believe the impact would be negative, either very (30%) or somewhat (47%). Subgroup positions on this issue mirror those of the previous question.

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:25 AM The public understands it too. Strike was really about precarious work. See Toronto Star editorial. Read headline.

Torontonians continue to believe that cutting full-time librarian positions is a bad move

Q.14t More and more, the city is moving to replace trained full time librarians who make decent wages with part timers working at much lower wages with no benefits. Would you say that… READ AND ROTATE : This is a good move because it will save the city millions of dollars / This is a bad move because qualified librarians with decent paying jobs will be lost

Replacing full-time librarians with low paid part-timers

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Over six in ten Toronto residents continue to believe that cutting full-time librarians is a bad move, while only one-quarter think it is a good move. Thinking it is a bad move is the dominant position across the City and across all subgroups, with the sole exception being those who strongly feel Mayor Ford is on the right track and, even here, four in ten strong Ford supporters say it is a bad move. Even half (49%) of residents who never use the library say this is a bad move.

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:30 AM Only concession we lost was job security. 11 years. Other municipal workers 15 years. But what does this mean for our bargaining unit. Ford invokes this clause tomorrow, part-time members with 22 years of service could be laid off and half of our bargaining unit could be gone.

So who do we have to blame for the prevalence of Precarious and Part-time

work in libraries?

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Author: Presenter Subject: Presentation Notes Date: 2/16/2015 10:40:38 AM I am reeling from the reality of this snapshot into our profession. And I am ashamed that the profession that I committed to reflectsthis. And I am angry that I cannot find the leadership in libraries to take on this issue and change it. I believe if we don’t take on this issue, library work will become just another McJob and the public library, well known for its culture of service excellence, will justfade away. So who do we have to blame for the prevalence of precarious and part-time work in libraries? Library administrators have to take the blame. Most library boards including municipal councillors are unaware of this state of affairs. Please work with me in ensuring that we have a new generation of library workers to deliver the service to our communities which they richly deserve. Thank you.