PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The staff who help run and develop the many libraries at the University of Pennsylvania are the latest to join the movement to unionize that has been rolling through the university over the last few years.
Penn Libraries support staff members are already part of AFSCME District Council 47 Local 590. Now, more than 100 librarians, curators, developers, IT staff, and others who work at one of the many Penn Libraries hope to join the support staff under the same bargaining unit.
Sam Kirk, a social sciences librarian says more than 100 employees want to be under a union to help address things at the bargaining table.
“We've seen issues around salary equity and unpredictable wage increases. They generally don't keep up with inflation,” Kirk said.
Apart from wages and a clearer path for employees to be promoted, said Kirk, “There's a heavy reliance on term-limited positions at will, which puts those staff in difficult circumstances, where they don't feel like they can safely voice their concerns due to the precarious nature of their job status.”
Employees have already filed to be recognized as “Penn Libraries United.”
“We hope that it'll reduce the turnover that we've seen in recent years, improve job satisfaction and salaries, and introduce clear pathways to promotions so people can feel that they can grow in their positions,” said Kirk.
Penn Libraries United filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board and Kirk, whose pronouns are they/them, says a letter was delivered to the director of the Penn Libraries.
They requested the university to voluntarily recognize the union, but Kirk says they have not heard back.
Over the past few years, there have been other organizing movements around campus.
“We are now part of a union wave at Penn that we're really grateful to be a part of,” Kirk said. “Since 2021, we've seen Penn Museum workers, hospital residents and fellows, the graduate workers, resident assistants. They've all unionized.”
KYW Newsradio has reached out to the University of Pennsylvania for comment.